SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Hyderabad: A delegation of the Chenchu Solidarity Forum (CSF) on Friday, May 1, met Telangana Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla and urged him to intervene against what it said was the unconstitutional forced relocation of Chenchu Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) communities from the Amrabad Tiger Reserve in the Nallamala forests.
The Governor, according to the organisation, heard their concerns and agreed to immediately call for a dialogue with the state government.
Memorandum flags constitutional violations
The delegation submitted a formal memorandum raising multiple violations of constitutional and statutory safeguards. They appealed to the Governor in his capacity as the constitutional custodian of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes.
The CSF’s complaint was directed at a programme organised by the Telangana government on March 25 in Hyderabad, where cheques were issued to some affected Amrabad Tiger Reserve families in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Forest Minister Konda Surekha. The forum contended this was done without completing mandatory legal processes, amounting to unconstitutional coercion.
Forest Rights Act violations highlighted
The delegation flagged five categories of legal violations. On the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, it noted that several community forest rights claims remain pending at district levels, individual forest rights (IFR) pattas (land deeds) have not been issued in some villages despite allotment of IFR numbers and the habitat rights process has not been initiated despite a Ministry of Tribal Affairs circular directing states to do so.
It also flagged that the National Human Rights Commission (HMRC) had separately directed immediate distribution of titles in Rayuledupenta village.
On the Wildlife Protection Act and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines, the group argued that the terms “inviolate” and “voluntary” were being misapplied to justify forcible eviction, while NTCA guidelines explicitly mandate that relocation be voluntary even in critical wildlife habitats. It noted that the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife, at its March 17 meeting, had also stressed coexistence between wildlife and local communities in core areas.
Tribal rights, harassment concerns raised
The CSF additionally alleged violation of Ministry of Tribal Affairs guidelines, which require a scientific study proving tribals pose a threat to wildlife before any relocation, and reported that Chenchu women face harassment while collecting firewood, tubers, wild foods and medicines. It also cited violation of the Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) (PESA) Act, stating that no proper gram sabha with Chenchu families was convened, and that the March 25 cheque distribution involved mostly non-tribal families without any informed consent or gram sabha resolutions.
A particularly serious concern flagged in the memorandum is that the proposed relocation site at Bacharam lies outside the Scheduled Area, which would strip Chenchus of their legal protections under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, and that this was done without any consultation with the Governor, who is constitutionally mandated to be consulted in such matters.
The CSF stated that the Chenchus had already submitted their complaint to Chief Minister Revnath Reddy and the State Level Monitoring Committee under the FRA, and that statements recorded at the CM Prajavani and at a public consultation held on April 17 clearly indicated the relocation was not voluntary and was driven by the interests of non-Adivasis, outsiders and the administration.
SOURCE : SIASAT
