Special force set to be mobilsed to protect forestland

Agartala, Jun 30 (UNI) Tripura forest authority has decided to mobilise special task force to protect the reserve forestland in Boxnagar area along Indo-Bangladesh border of West Tripura.

Official sources here today said that at least 25 illegal occupant families had been evacuated from reserve forest area and lodged complaint of violation of Forest Act against the families.

Reportedly, every day even at night there is an attempt by the fenced victims to occupy the forestland in the area and forest guards were not sufficient to combat the activities, said a senior forest department official.

According to the report, a huge amount of land had been fenced and about 1,300 poor families in Boxnagar had been displaced due to erection of barbed wire fencing while 70 per cent of the victims have land inside India, which compelled them to occupy the reserve forest.

''The occupation of forestland was started a few days back and last month we held a meeting with state Forest Minister Jitendra Choudhury, local public representatives and the victim families, while minister made it clear that the government was seriously thinking of the issue and matter would be settled soon,'' said Range officer Ashok Choudhury.

He has also stated that the state government had sent the proposal of allowing the people to use the forestland to the Ministry of Environment and Forest but nothing had yet been received from the Centre.

''Unless getting conversion clearance of forestland from the Centre we cannot allow anybody to use the reserve forest land,'' Mr Choudhury said, adding that despite the construction of gates at regular intervals in the fence, Indian farmers were facing serious problems in cultivating their land that fell outside their territory.

Meanwhile, the victims alleged that the forest authorities of the states have been going against community rights so as to expand their power, with the forest officials attempting to use Joint Forest Management procedure to take over community lands.

UNI