UNDER THE COVER OF COVID-19PANDEMIC
Bureau,Odishabarta
STOP FORCIBLE PLANTATION &ILLEGAL AUCTION OF COAL MINES WITH VIOLATION OF MANDATORY ENVIRONMENT LAW &FOREST RIGHTS ACT 2006-CAMPAIGN FOR SURVIVAL AND DIGNITY, ODISHA
BHUBANESWAR:07 July 2020: The whole mankind in world has realized and learned the critical need of environment protection and conservation of nature from the ongoing Covid19 pandemic. Several nations have called for their citizens to adopt and contribute this important process of environment conservation and protection. However, while the people are scared and keeping themselves isolated and quarantine at home and villages to save their life from this serious pandemic, under the instruction of the government, at the same time taking the chance of the situation the government has secretively taken several serious anti-environmental and anti-people activities.
On the other side, the continued mindless exploitation and destruction of the state’s natural environment and its resources through mining by wider opening to the private corporate have already designed the map of displacement and dispossession of more than 50 thousand adivasis and traditional forest dwellers of Odisha, strongly alleged by CSD Odisha.
In the Scheduled and tribal dominated areas, the Central government has already given approval of environmental and forests clearance for coal and other mines to companies, taking the chance of lockdown and covering the attention of villagers bypassing all the mandatory legal processes of Gram Sabhas and Public Hearings. With active facilitation of State and conspiracy with the corporate, the fearless and extraction and transportation of mines have been going on from areas of Angul, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Koraput, Rayagada, Sundargarh, etc. hugely and freely. How the extraction and transportation of mineral taken place at the time of restrictions imposed as per Covid19 guidelines? How can without approval of GramSabhas, the approval of environment and forest clearance for auction of mines has been granted to nine Coal mines in Odisha out of 41 in the country?, CSD Odisha question both Central and State Government.
Only to appease the greedy and interests Corporate and Capitalists, the Government should stop violating all the legal processes delineated under the Forest Rights Act-2006, the PESA 1996, Environment Protection Act 1986, Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notifcation-2006 and Land Acquisition (LARR) Act 2013 among others, demand Sri GopinathMajhi, State Convener, CSD Odisha.
The tribal and traditional forest dwellers are critically dependent on the rich natural forests and biodiversity for deriving their livelihood.However, the Government is busy and proactive in leasing out and diverting thousands of hectares of rich forests areas to the Coal and other mines Company snatching away the livelihoods of lakhs of forest dwellers at the same timealluring permanent destruction and disaster for the natural environment of the country. We appeal the government to stop such approach and recognize the ownership rights of forests and completely ensure to hand rights over “community forests resources” for their effective conservation and management by GramSabhaunder the Forest Rights Act-2006 so that the natural environment of the State and livelihoods of the forest dwellers would be protected and secured. Odisha Govt. should cancel and stop auctioning of the rich natural forests of the State to the Coal Mines Companyand oppose the move of Central government with being part of the initiatives taken by Jharkhand and Maharashtra government. Now, the most appropriate time the Government should protect the natural resources and environment to properly safeguard the country’s biodiversity from the path of destruction as urgent call, the Campaign urges.
On the occasion of the celebration of 72nd Forest Festival (BanaMahotsava) week Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha has given a public message on the contribution of biodiversity, ecological balance and greenery for the survival of the living beings including the role of forests for the social and economic livelihood dependency of people. Therefore, the state Govt. has taken initiative for 15 crores plantations for protection, regeneration of degraded forests and creation of new forests in current rainy season, CSD welcomes this. However, while dong plantations, no forestland (individual or community) occupied and used by the tribal and traditional forest dwellers before 13 December 2005, whether title is issued or not, should be used for plantation or nursery growing by forest department or other agency, CSD demands for special preventive steps. It was reported that the rights of the tribal and traditional forest dwellers have been denied through plantation over the occupied lands and even the land over which titles have been already issued.
The compensatory afforestation funds (CAF) or other funds available with forest dept. should be given to or channelized through Gram Sabha and MGNREGA for protection, regeneration, management and Conservation activities of “Community Forest Resources”, which would help in ensuring the livelihoods of the forest dwellers and protection of environment and biodiversity. In this regard, CSD has urged upon the government for immediate cancellation of 9 Coal mines auction and follow the prescribed legal and constitutional mandate for the environment protection and demand for issue of written instruction in this regard.
