All India Kisan Khet Mazdoor Sabha’s national co-convener and State president of the Andhra Pradesh Rythu Coolie Sangham Simhadri Jhansi on Monday said that the members of the farmer associations and tribal farmers would jointly register their protest on November 15 across the country to oppose the amendments to the Forest (Conservation) Act-1980.
She alleged that the proposed Forest Conservation Rules-2022 would be detrimental to the interests of the tribal people who would not have any rights over the lands in future.
The Rythu Coolie Sangham organised a public meeting here to mark the 55th death anniversary of tribal farmers Koranna and Manganna who sacrificed their lives during the Srikakulam Girijana Rythanga Udyamam that was organised in the year 1967.
She told the gathering that corporate companies would not allow tribals to stay in forests once they were given the lease of lands under the Forest Conservation Rules-2022. “The tribal people will be forced to prove that they have been staying in their places for many decades. The lack of documentary support to prove the nativity of three generations will certainly lead to many problems for them in future. Moreover, extraction of natural wealth will put the entire society in danger,” she added.
The Sangham State joint secretary Dantuluru Varma asked the government to bring the 250 non-scheduled villages into the scheduled category to protect the interests of the farmers. “Thousands of farmers have been agitating for the inclusion of their villages in scheduled areas so that their existence and lands would be protected. Unfortunately, the successive governments ignored the plea of tribals. It has led to the exploitation of tribal wealth across the State apart from Srikakulam district,” he added.
The association district secretary Tandra Aruna, leaders G. Ammaji, K. Gowthami and P. Polarao were among those who spoke. Tribal people from different mandals attended the meeting and raised slogans against the government’s policies.
