Tribal Act rules to be notified next week

The UPA Government is set to notify rules to implement the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act, 2006 early next week.

The UPA Government is set to notify rules to implement the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 early next week. The Law Ministry, which had sent the draft rules to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs early this week, is learnt to have got a green signal from the latter. “We are in the process of translating the rules in Hindi now. They are likely to be completed early next week,” said ministry sources.

The notification was earlier being delayed under pressure from the wildlife lobby supported by a section of the Congress, who argued that giving pattas to tribals and other occupants of the forests before relocating them would have serious implication for national parks and sanctuaries.

Law Ministry officials, however, noted that there were provisions in the Act to notify “inviolate” areas for wildlife conservation. Ministry of Environment & Forests has to do it after consultations with an expert committee.

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“Since the Act itself provides for Critical Wildlife Habitats, there was no need to incorporate them in the rules. Wherever the Act is explicit, the rules remain silent,” said officials, adding that rules were “ready for notification” and the Congress leadership had to take a call now.

Congress sources said Sonia Gandhi had given a go ahead to Minister for Tribal Affairs P R Kyndiah when he sought her opinion recently about notifying the rules. Tribal Affairs Ministry concurred with the Ministry of Environment & Forests that tribals staying in national parks and sanctuaries should “not be touched” until steps for their relocation and rehabilitation were in place.

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