'Will jeopardise existing rights of tribals': Nagaland Assembly passes resolution against Forest Bill

The Nagaland Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution opposing the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill 2023 as it would "jeopardise the existing rights of tribal communities on their forest lands and its resources".

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister, C. L John, who moved the 11-point resolution in the house on the third and last day of the monsoon session, said that Article 371 (A) of the Constitution provides provision for ownership and transfer of land and its resources.

The forest bill had inserted a new Section -- 1(A)(2), which exempted from the operation of the principal act, such forest lands situated within a distance of 100 km along international borders, Line of Control or Actual Line of Control as the case may be, proposed to be used for construction of strategic linear project of national importance and concerning national security.

However, the exempted area of 100 km from international borders would cover most parts of Nagaland where the ownership of most of the forest lands vests with tribal communities.

The resolution said that a consultative meeting with various stakeholders on the forest bill was held on September 1 where the representatives of various Naga Tribal Hohos, and different organisations expressed their strong objection to the application of Section 1(A)(2) in the proposed bill.

The house further resolved that the Centre must assure that provisions contained in Section 1(A)(2) of the forest bill shall not be used to the detriment of the state and its people. It added that the House resolved to explore various options including the state enacting its own Act for the purpose of having its own compensatory mechanism wherein any diversion of even private or community owned forest land for non-forestry purposes and damage to environment is suitably compensated by the user agency, in addition to avail the benefits of the existing schemes of the Central government in this regard.