Execute Asadi panel recommendations

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MYSORE: Activists of Tribal Joint Action Forum and State Primitive and Forest Tribes Forum staged a protest, urging the state gove..

MYSORE: Activists of Tribal Joint Action Forum and State Primitive and Forest Tribes Forum staged a protest, urging the state government to implement the recommendations of Prof Muzzafar Asadi Committee and rehabilitate the tribal families displaced from Nagarhole National Park.
The High Court hearing the public interest litigation in 1999 opined that human rights of tribals were violated and 5,000 displaced families from Nagarhole were left in the lurch. The HC had constituted a committee to present a report on the status of tribal families.However, the state government on April 3, 2009, had promised the court that all displaced families would be rehabilitated. But tribal forums alleged that no initiative has been taken to give them rights over forest land through grama sabhas. "B S Yedyurappa did not take any action when he was forest minister. Forest officials have mislead the minister and leaders over the issue and displaced 96 families of Jeenu Kurubas from Kakanakote forest range," the forums alleged.

Criticising the Assistant Commissioner for rejecting 4,300 out of 5,000 applications seeking land rights based on the forest officials report that they are cultivating forest land, Tribal Forum convenor S Sreekanth said that 2,200 families have filed appeals pleading to reconsider their applications. He said that the Forest Department has stopped 1,300 families from cultivating in the forest.

He said that tribals would stage protests and launch a 'Quit Forest Agitation' to stop officers from entering the forest, if the government fails to meet their demands by October 2. They have also planned to constitute an 'Adivasi Parliament' comprising of women and youth from over 1,500 hadis to govern themselves as per the Tribal Rights Act.