MoEF panel for withdrawal of forest clearance

In a setback to the Rs 54,000 crore Posco project, three members of the four-member panel of the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) which had recently visited the Posco site to check the alleged violations of Forest Rights Act (FRA), has urged the ministry to withdraw the forest clearance given to the company in December 2009.

It has also suggested the MoEF to ask the Orissa government to stop all work pertaining to the project, including land acquisition and demolition of betel vines, till the required processes under FRA are completed and also till the consent of the palli sabhas in the project site area is obtained.

The three-member team consisting of Ashish Kothari, Arupjyoti Saikia and Ravi Rebbapragada, has concluded that any work related to the Posco project at the site is a violation of FRA and of the conditionality laid down by the MoEF in its forest clearance dated December 29, 2009.

Out of 4004 acres required for the project, 2958 acres are categorized as forest land.

In a letter to the Union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh, the panel chairman ad member of the National Advisory Council, N C Saxena has stated that there are Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFD) at the project site contrary to the claims made by the district administration.

The presence of OTFD is backed by documentary and oral evidence which include records of the old Bardhaman estate, rent receipts of families from the early 20th century and forest settlement records.

The letter also says that the FRA process has not been completed, in fact it has no proceeded beyond the initial stages for various reasons and it is therefore incorrect for the district administration to conclude that there are no OTFDs in the area without having gone through the process of claims.

The panel is of the view that land acquisition and demolition of betel vines being carried out by the district administration is a violation of FRA.

The panel has pulled up the district administration for not making pro- active moves for the identification of potential claimants and providing them documents that could help determine their eligibility.