IE : Tribal Act further delayed as panel set up to look into its impact on wildlife : Nov 2,2007

Tribal Act further delayed as panel set up to look into its impact on wildlife

SONU JAIN
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 1

THE discussion at the National Board of Wildlife meeting today, chaired by the Prime Minister, took barely five minutes but its decision is all set to further stall the notification of the much-awaited Tribal Act passed by Parliament last December. The board decided to set up a sub-committee to look into the adverse impact of the Act on wildlife and suggest ways to mitigate it.

Earlier, the Ministry of Environment and Forests had begun work on another mammoth exercise – preparing guidelines for declaring large tracts of forest land as “critical wildlife habitats”. Tribal activists have already been protesting, saying this will severely restrict the area where the Tribal Act is applicable.

With an aim to protect tigers, the government was mapping out “inviolate area” of at least 800-1200 square km in every tiger reserve. Each of these reserves may have 1000 sq km of buffer. An estimated Rs 10 lakh will be paid to each tribal family in this area for relocation.

This Act is politically sensitive and has already ruffled the Left which has written letters to the Prime Minister to intervene and hasten the implementation

Publication : IE; Section : Front; Pg : 1; Date : 2/11/07