Protest against non-passage of Forest Rights bill

New Delhi, Aug 21 (UNI) Forest dwellers from many states staged a dharna here today demanding immediate passage of the Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill, 2005 with amendments recommended by the Joint Parliamentary Committee which examined the proposed law.

Clauses such as the one that stipulate that the people should have occupied the same land for 26 years, that decisions on rights should be made by government officials as against the Gram Sabhas and that large non-ST forest dwelling populations be excluded ''defeat the very purpose'' of the bill and makes it a ''vehicle for corruption'', the protestors say.

The dharna at Jantar Mantar was organised by the ''Campaign for Survival and Dignity'', a conglomerate of NGO organisations working among tribal communities in different states.

Tribals from Orissa, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat were among those who participated in the dharna today, the organisers said, adding that representatives from other states would join them soon.

UNI VN PA KN1512