Tribes to be allowed to collect minor forest produces: Collector

TIRUVANNAMALAI: “In a first of its kind in Tamil Nadu, the Tiruvannamalai district administration has issued rights to 1,021 Schedule Tribe (ST) community members residing inside forests to collect Minor Forest Produce (MFP) in their areas,” Collector B Murugesh said.

“This is the first time that such rights are being conferred on ST community members residing inside forests,” he said and added that the rights were being conferred on the basis of the 2006 Forest Rights Act.

“While 1,021 individuals belonging to the ST community have been accorded this permission it will only confer rights on them and they cannot ever claim rights to the land they use inside forests,” Murugesh said.

Another 154 have been issued similar rights on a community basis.

“They all come under the Arani revenue division and include 3 villages in Polur, 11 in Sandavasal, 36 at Nattaanur, 49 at Jamunamarudur and 56 at Melpattur,” the Collector added.

“They will be allowed to collect forest minor produce over an area covering 39,522.23 Ha,” officials said.

The rights enable the users to collect honey, tamarind, gooseberry, inknut (Terminalia Chebula), and soapnut from within the forest.

However, another 160 applications which were rejected due to their either not belonging to the Schedule Tribe community or not living inside the forests will also be taken up for scrutiny again through a special committee consisting of Arani RDO, Tiruvannamalai ST welfare officer, special tahsidar (Adi Dravida welfare), Jamunamarudur tahsildar, forest officials, survey officials, revenue inspectors and VAOs.

“Individual forest rights would be provided for all those found eligible by this committee,” Collector Murugesh added.

Collector B Murugesh said that this is for the first time that such rights are being given to Schedule Tribe community members