Siliguri: Forest dwellers residing along the proposed
Sevoke-Rangpo railway tracks have demanded that implementation of any
projects be halted until and unless they are provided with land rights.
They also demanded the immediate formation of 'Gram Sabhas,'
which have the power to allow the use of forest land for other purposes.
The forest villagers organised a convention at a club here
under the banner of the Uttarbanga Ban-Jan Sramajibi Mancha (UBJSM) and
Himalayan Forest Villagers Organisation. Representatives of different
non-governmental organisations also participated in the convention and
extend solidarity with the villagers.
According to the villagers, as per the Forest Rights Act of 2006, the
government or any other agency cannot take up a project in the forest
without the consent of forest villagers.
"For this project, we apprehend that around 24 villages will
fall along the proposed tracks and about 40,000 residents have to be
shifted elsewhere. That is why we want land rights to be conferred on us
and then, we should be compensated. Without our consent, the GTA cannot
issue any NOC to the railways," said one of the organisers.
"We want immediate implementation of forest protection right
in the proposed areas that will come under the railway project. Without
the implementation of the Act, no projects should be taken in the area.
We have already conveyed our objections to different levels of the state
and central governments," said Lal Singh Bhujel, the convener of UBJSM.
PK. Subba, a resident of Rangpo, one of the hilly hamlets that
will come along the proposed railway track, said they had no other
options than to resort to a movement if the project is implemented
forcibly. "We want both the railways and the state government to come up
with a clear proposal," he said.
The Telegraph