North East groups challenge
'Tribal Bill'
Itanagar, 18-19 June, 2005
STATEMENT
Representatives from community groups, civil society,
non-government organisations, institutions and concerned citizens from the North
Eastern States consulted with the National Forum of Forest Peoples and Forest
Workers (NFFPFW) and its allies in a two-day consultation to share and discuss
the specific situations and uniqueness of the forest issues in the North Eastern
Region of India. The consultation also thoroughly deliberated on the present
draft Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill, 2005 and other
related policies and legislations.
The participants of the consultation, after thoroughly
examining the current draft Bill in the context of the ground realities and
historical heritage of the North Eastern region, sharply criticized the draft
Bill.
Statement No. 1
While appreciating the intent and the spirit of the proposed
draft formulations of the Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill,
2005, this forum of participating members from the North Eastern States, defers
with the present process of finalisation, and form and content of the Bill as
made available by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, in their website, and
advertised in some national dailies, based on the issues raised herein with
great concern:
The Bill in its Statement of Objects and Reasons does not
reflect the northeastern context and issues as most of the region is
administered under special constitutional provisions such as Article 371 and
Sixth Schedule;
The ambit and scope of the draft Bill is too narrow in its
formulation and does not reflect the spirit of its objectives to comprehensively
address historical injustice and the collective rights of the tribal peoples and
forest dwellers in that it only addresses the rights of Scheduled Tribes.
The process in which the Bill was drafted and the lack of
transparency and wide consultations required for a legislation of critical
importance and implications
Statement No. 2
Considering the above facts, this forum objects to the
extremely limited manner and avenue in which the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has
sought for suggestions and comments to the draft Bill. The forum appeals that
the deadline for submission of suggestions and comments presently fixed on July
10, 2005, be extended to facilitate a larger and more egalitarian consultative
process involving State-level and regional consultations. This will enable
the indigenous and tribal peoples of the North Eastern States to examine the
present draft Bill and respond to the Government of India in a comprehensive and
informed manner.
The following representatives of different organizations
endorse the document:-
Name Organization
Jarjum
Ete CEDGE/
Indigenous Women’s Resource Centre, Arunachal
Yaken
Yomcha
CEDGE, Arunachal
Gautam
Bandyopadhyay
Nadi Ghati Morcha
Ashok
Choudhary
NFFPFW
Soumitra
Ghosh
NFFPFW/NESPON
Souparna
Lahiri
Delhi Forum
Taw
Azu
CEDGE, Arunachal
Dr.
Vinayan
NFFPFW/ Jan Mukti Andolan
Ramnanda
Wankheirakpam
CCDD, Manipur
Bamang
Anthony
ACR, Arunachal Citizen Right
Biraj
Patnaik
Adviser to the Commissioner of SC in Writ-196 of 2001
Arunav
Borthakur
WWF, India, KKl, Diphu
Bharati
NFFPFW
Joram
Jaya
Member, Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women
Arup Kumar
Saikia
Rural Volunteers Centre, Akajan
Luit
Goswami
Rural Volunteers Centre, Akajan
Fransis U
Hrangkhawl
Indigenous Tribal Peoples Development Centre, Tripura
Prabin Man
Singh
Water Energy Users’ Federation, Nepal
Sanjay Kishore
Gogoi
Bhumiputra Bhumi Adhikar Suraksha Mancha, Dhemaji
Joram
Puppa
Arunachal Citizen Right
Kumari
Naorem
CORE, Centre for Organization Research & Education, Imphal
Taring
yaring
Arunachal Citizen Right
Ram K
Bhandari
South Asian Soliderity for River and Peoples (SARP)
Rup J
Pater
Arunachal Citizen Right
D Roy
Laifungbam
CORE, manipur
Ravindranath
River Basin Friends, Assam