A group of 40 retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers has prepared a Foresters’ Guide on Forest Right Act 2006 (FRA). The guide book was released virtually on 15 August by retired Principal Chief Conservator of Forests of Karnataka, Mr. BK Singh. It aims at educating forest field officers on the proper FRA implementation.
This came up days after a group of 63 retired IFS officers from different states had written to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing their concern over the misuse of Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006.
The officers believe that FRA has been misused by ineligible claimants to encroach forest land. In such situation the guide can help the forest officers on implementation of FRA at the gram panchayat and district levels for the same.
The guide suggests to the forest officers that they should be aware of the fact that if any title over forest right is given on a forest land encroached after December 13, 2005, it is in violations of FRA, Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and Indian Forest Act, 1927, and concerned forest officer also becomes responsible for such illegal action as they are the custodian of the forests under their jurisdiction.
