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Maharashtra: Tribals conduct 'Queue Satyagraha', protest for their land

Tribals form queue to question the government.

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Queue Satyagraha was conducted outside the office of collector in Jawahar
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Tribals in the Jawahar and Vikramgad blocks of Palghar district protested in a unique way on Monday against state's inaction in giving them their land-rights.

Queue Satyagraha was conducted outside the office of collector in Jawahar, wherein over 1,500 tribals stood in line to question government's word. "These citizens are holders of forest rights and have been subsistence farmers on forest land. The Forest Rights Act (2006) had assured them right to livelihood, but the right is yet to be realized after nine years of the Act’s rules being put in place for its implementation. These tribal farmers received land titles of a much lesser area than what they actually hold," said Milind Thatte, member of Maharashtra state tribal advisory council, a body that is fighting for their rights who has been helping the tribals. 

In 2013, the body helped tribals file appeals with the district collector’s committee (DLC), which promised re-measurement of land. The FRA says the DLC must complete its action on applications received within 60 days of receipt. "Line satyagrahis questions the meaning of 60 days. They also question CM Fadanvis’ Right to Public Services Act, which is only on paper, as the Act promises to deliver services within a time limit," said Thatte. 

Prakash Baraf, a holder of forest rights, who came up with the idea said, "The government keeps forgetting its duties and the laws. If reminded once or twice, the government still does not deliver its promises. We have therefore queued up to remind the government thousand times. The participants in queue satyagraha filed appeals that mentioned FRA provisions, Public Services Act, as well as the Prevention of Atrocities Act. Depriving a tribal of his/her forest rights is considered an offence under the Atrocities Act."

Around the same time when they filed appeals with collector office, the tribals had enmasse filed RTI applications to bring out in open the government's mishandling of FRA applications. The forest department, they had stated, had given less-land-area recommendations without field verification. 

The collector office and committees had blindly accepted the forest department recommendation without even informing the applicant. Tribals back then had minor victory of sorts when the state information commission ordered all information about FRA be disclosed on the Collector’s website. "The tribal citizens filed FRA appeals with the evidence obtained from RTI in fall of 2013. Yet after three years, the government is yet to deliver its promise of re-measurement of land area that is held by these tribal farmers for bear survival," said Thatte.

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