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The Vice President, Shri Bhairon Singh Shekhawat has called upon Forest Officers to reconcile the conflicting interests of the tribal people & mining activities. Shri Shekhawat was interacting with the Indian Forest Service Probationers including two foreign trainees from Bhutan who called on him here today. Underlining the importance of mining activities, the Vice President said that mining is one of the most important economic activities. It threatens the tribal people and robs them of their own land. Because of tribal people’s intimate relationship to their land, they feel that depriving them of their land is an attack on their cultures, religious beliefs and ways of life. It is, therefore, imperative for the forest officers to adopt a balanced approach towards the whole question of mining and tribal rights so that the tribals are not alienated from their roots and the local cultural ethos of the tribal people is not affected.
He said that forest rights to the tribals are integral to secure their sustainable livelihood as also for ensuring effective forest management. We need to bring about suitable legislations to accord legal rights to the tribals over the forests where they have inhabited from time immemorial. The Forest Officers need to be sensitive managers of the forest ecosystems as national community resources with social, economic and cultural ramifications for the people, especially the tribals, he added. He emphasised that there is need to maintain the fragile ecological balance and find ways to harmonise conservation and development.
The Vice President expressed concern over the greatly damaged and over exploited forests due to ever increasing demands of the growing population of the country without commensurate regeneration, leading to serious depletion in our natural resource base and biodiversity. He added that conservation of our rapidly deteriorating forest wealth is a challenge for the Forest Officers.
Shri Shekhawat said that conservation of natural resources cannot be done by the forest officers alone in view of the ever-increasing conflict between man and animal. It is imperative to put in place a rehabilitation policy for the communities living in forests, which are situated in the endangered animal habitats. Besides, the communities should be actively involved in the maintenance and preservation of animal habitat.
He said that the forest officers face daunting challenges from the smugglers of forest wealth as also the poachers and illegal wild life traders. Stringent measures need to be taken against them. Besides, a high level of awareness needs to be generated to nurture the diverse traditions of protection and conservation of wildlife. It is a common knowledge that in India animals are associated with chariots of Gods and worshipped.
AK/SK/JA
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