Raipur, Chhattisgarh: The Chhattisgarh Forest Department has officially withdrawn its contentious directive that restricted other government departments, NGOs, and private stakeholders from participating in Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR) work.
The move follows intense protests across several tribal regions of the state, where communities viewed the order as a violation of their constitutional and legal rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006.
Minister Intervenes Following Backlash
According to an official statement released on Thursday, Forest Minister Kedar Kashyap ordered the withdrawal of the May 15 advisory, acknowledging the mounting public outcry. The directive, which had assigned supervisory authority over CFRR lands to the forest department, was seen as undermining gram sabha autonomy, a central pillar of the FRA.
FRA: A Tool for Tribal Empowerment
The Forest Rights Act grants gram sabhas the authority to conserve, protect, and manage community forest resources, and to veto activities threatening the forest ecosystem, biodiversity, or local wildlife. The May directive was criticized for directly contradicting this principle by reintroducing centralized forest department control.
Statewide Protests Push Government to Reconsider
Tribal communities, supported by civil society groups, erupted in protest in districts such as Nagri, Ambikapur, Kanker, Gaurela, Narayanpur, Gariaband, Pithora, Balod, and Bastar. Protesters accused the state of rolling back tribal rights and submitted memorandums demanding the order’s immediate withdrawal, labeling it “unconstitutional” and “anti-tribal.”
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Forest Department Clarifies: “Typographical Error”
The directive was signed by V. Sreenivasa Rao, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), who referenced a 2020 central communication to justify naming the forest department as the nodal agency. However, the department has since admitted this was a “typographical error,” which was addressed via a corrigendum issued on June 23. Still, given the confusion and unrest, both the original directive and the corrigendum have now been formally withdrawn.
Over 20 Lakh Hectares of Forest Rights Already Recognized
In its statement, the department emphasized its record in implementing FRA:
- 4,78,641 individual titles distributed
- 4,349 community forest resource rights titles granted
- Over 20 lakh hectares covered
These figures reflect the scale of recognition of tribal and forest-dweller rights in Chhattisgarh.
Awaiting Central Guidelines for CFRR
The department explained that in the absence of detailed CFRR model plans from the Centre, the May order was an interim step to align community forest management with the National Working Plan Code (NWPC) 2023. To fill the gap, it has now formally urged the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to release:
- Model CFRR plans
- Implementation guidelines
- Training modules for gram sabhas and stakeholders
Way Forward: Balancing Autonomy and Oversight
While the forest department insists the order was procedural, tribal leaders say this episode underscores the need for greater decentralization and strict adherence to the FRA. With the advisory withdrawn, attention now shifts to the central ministries, whose delayed guidelines continue to leave CFRR implementation in limbo.
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