His volte-face is inexplicable. Ignoring resolutions passed by the gram sabhas of Dhinkia and Gobindapur that the Orissa government had failed to implement the Forest Rights Act, which promises tribals and other forest dwellers legal land rights, Ramesh said in his 2 May order granting clearance: “Faith and trust in what the State government says is an essential pillar of cooperative federalism which is why I rejected the option of an independent inquiry into the contradictory claims."
The enquiry committee appointed by his own ministry had described the project as an “environmental disaster in the making" and he is now saying that he was “not only doing the right thing but doing the thing right." The Indian Council for Social Development in its summary report on the implementation of the Forest Rights Act has said: “All the key features of this legislation have been undermined by a combination of apathy and sabotage during the process of implementation. Unless immediate remedial measures are taken, instead of undoing the historical injustice to tribal and other traditional forest dwellers, the Act will have the opposite outcome of making them even more vulnerable to eviction and denial of their customary access to forests. The testimonies made it clear that this is not merely a result of bureaucratic failure; both the Central and the State governments have actively pursued policies that are in direct violation of the spirit and letter of the Act." Read the full report here.
Source: Sam Rajappa, The Statesman.
