Tuesday, April 9, 2013

BELA wants enforcement of Forest Act




Staff Correspondent
The Forest Act, passed some 82 years ago, has a provision to develop and protect ‘village forests, but absence of rules to enforce the law left it totally ineffective.
   Such lack of rules deprived the indigenous people and traditional inhabitants of the forests of their rights in forest management, said environment activists and rights groups at a workshop on Saturday.
   Their opinion came at workshop on protecting forest rights and promoting village forests organised by Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association.
   Speakers at the workshop emphasised exercising authorities under section 28 of the Forest Act, 1927 to enact rules to implement the provision relating to village forest.
   The provision on ‘village forest’ under the Forest Act 1927 could never be implemented due to lack of rules which deprived the indigenous people and traditional inhabitants of the forests of their rights, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, chief executive of BELA pointed out.
   In a draft rules, BELA proposed to involve local forest dwellers in the management of forest under certain conditions, fixing their responsibilities to maintain the forest.
   The rules would be a legal framework under which Forest Department staff can work with local communities, said Rizwana.
   Among others, Ritwick Dutta, Malika Vardi, Souparna Lahiri, Prasant Mohanty from India, Rita Simkhada from Nepal, Talimand Khan and Riaz Khan from Pakistan and Tempa Drukpa from Bhutan, narrated their experiences and limitation in developing social forestry in their respective countries.
   Sanjeeb Drong, secretary of Adibasi Forum and Suddata Bikas Tongchoingga also addressed the workshop.
   Relying on the legal developments that have taken place in neighbouring Nepal and India, the workshop emphasised defining and protecting ‘forest rights’.
   Souparna Lahiri said the Forest Rights Act (2006) of India guaranteed land rights and other rights of the forest dwellers over the forests.
   BELA handed over two draft laws on ‘Village Forest Rules’ and ‘Forest Right Act and Rules’ to Hasan Mahmud, State Minister for Ministry of Environment and Forest, at the concluding session.

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