Stop fresh encroachments in forests,Naxals tell tribals

After finding themselves in an ideological spot over community forest rights (CFR) movement spurred by Forest Rights Act (FRA),Naxalites appear to be finding the ground slipping further from beneath their feet - literally and otherwise - on the operational front.

After finding themselves in an ideological spot over community forest rights (CFR) movement spurred by Forest Rights Act (FRA),Naxalites appear to be finding the ground slipping further from beneath their feet – literally and otherwise – on the operational front. Fresh agricultural encroachments in forests are making their movements difficult. Thus,they have issued warnings to tribals not to further extend the encroachments,or pay fine.

With over 700 villages securing community rights over the forests around them in Gadchiroli and with the movement spreading across the country,the Naxalites have realised FRAs potential to achieve peacefully what they (Naxals) had long been claiming to be fighting for by violent means. They had issued pamphlets condemning Devaji Tofa and Gandhian activist Mohan Hirabai Hiralal,architects of the CFR movement in Gadchiroli.

After facing an ideological challenge posed by FRA,the Naxals are now facing operational problems due to increasing trend of fresh forest encroachments by tribals for agriculture. With the open agricultural areas getting stretched out deeper into the forests,Naxals are finding reaching the villages that much more difficult, sources said. They are now warning the villagers not to extend encroachments any further, they said.

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The sources said Naxals have been stressing the point in village meetings under the pretext of a jungle bachao (save forest) campaign and have warned that anyone cutting trees will have to pay a fine of Rs 150. The real concern is that the depleting forest cover makes them vulnerable to getting exposed.

A senior activist said,Jungle has always been on Naxal agenda. They had started the so-called movement with agricultural land but subsequently realised that is not going to help them achieve their ultimate goal of power. So they switched over to forest. But with FRA giving tribals what they (Naxals) couldnt achieve,they were upset. But now again they are trying to turn the FRA gains to their advantage. With villagers managing their own resources such as bamboo,money has started flowing into villages. So,the Naxals see huge financial potential and are trying to dictate terms to villagers to sell their produce to some particular buyer/s.

The Naxal ban on tree-felling,however,augurs well for the Forest Department,which has hit the teak smuggling racket in Sironcha tahsil,southern Gadchiroli. This rainy season,we have been able recover huge quantities of teak logs that smugglers stack along the Godavari river, said Shri Laxmi,Divisional Forest Officer,Sironcha.

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