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New Delhi:
Holding back forest clearance to POSCO’s iron and steel project yet again, the Environment Ministry has directed the Orissa government to recognise the rights of forest-dwellers living in two villages in the proposed project area while rejecting the state’s contention that there was no one eligible for such rights in that area.
In giving its fresh ruling on this issue, the Environment Ministry has relied on a representation by a group opposed to the POSCO project that had submitted documents to show that some people in Dhinkia and Gobindpur villages in the project area were indeed classified as Other Traditional Forest Dwellers and, therefore, their rights over the forest land needed to be recognised in accordance with the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
This group, the POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti, had submitted resolutions ostensibly passed by the gram sabhas of these two villages to this effect just two days before the state government gave a written assurance on Wednesday claiming there were no forest-dwellers living in the project area.
Holding back forest clearance to POSCO’s iron and steel project yet again, the Environment Ministry has directed the Orissa government to recognise the rights of forest-dwellers living in two villages in the proposed project area while rejecting the state’s contention that there was no one eligible for such rights in that area.
In giving its fresh ruling on this issue, the Environment Ministry has relied on a representation by a group opposed to the POSCO project that had submitted documents to show that some people in Dhinkia and Gobindpur villages in the project area were indeed classified as Other Traditional Forest Dwellers and, therefore, their rights over the forest land needed to be recognised in accordance with the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
This group, the POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti, had submitted resolutions ostensibly passed by the gram sabhas of these two villages to this effect just two days before the state government gave a written assurance on Wednesday claiming there were no forest-dwellers living in the project area.
