Despite orders, issuance of eviction notices to forest land encroachers stopped in Karnataka

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Despite orders from Karnataka Minister of Social Welfare and Other Backward Classes Welfare Kota Srinivas Poojary to commence an inquiry of the encroachment of forest land as per the Karnataka Forest Act, 1963 and 1964, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Land Records) A K Singh asked the divisional forest officials to halt the encroachment eviction operations till the Forest Rights Applications (FRA) applications are settled.
The order copy, accessed by indianexpress.com, reads that the officials were directed not to issue notices to the applicants of FRA till the inspection process is completed. However, he added that the inspection process should be expedited.
Poojary had held the meeting on February 22 while the letter undersigned by Singh was dated April 24.
The FRA 2006 recognises the rights of forest dwelling tribal communities and other traditional forest dwellers (OTFD) to forest resources on which these communities depend for livelihood, habitation and other sociocultural needs.
“To qualify as OTFD and be eligible for recognition of rights under FRA, two conditions are need to be fulfilled: Primarily resided in forest or forests land for three generations (75 years) prior to 13-12-2005, and depend on the forest or forests land for bonafide livelihood needs,” the ministry of tribal affairs states.
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