E-Paper
In Himachal’s tribal belt, green concerns matter the most
People in the tribal region are up in arms against the damage being done to the ecology due to the rampant development activities, especially the hydropower projects
Unlike the rest of Himachal Pradesh where the November 12 polls are being fought on the issues of inflation, unemployment and old pension scheme, in the tribal regions of the state, particularly Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts, environment is a more dominant issue.
Fighting to save the environment, people in Kinnaur and adjoining Lahaul and Spiti want the implementation of the Forest Rights Act in letter and spirit, which they feel is the only way to prevent any more destruction to the already fragile ecosystem.
And at the forefront of this battle are the youth of Kinnaur, who had launched ‘No Means No’ campaign against building new hydroelectric projects after the series of landslide disasters that struck the region in 2021.
“We have held several discussions with the administration, government and scientists on the effects of the proposed 804MW Jangi Thopan power project, but to no avail. Experts have termed such catastrophes natural calamities as opposed to man-made disasters at the behest of the government to give the hydel projects a clean chit,” said Shanta Kumar Negi, an activist.
“The area where the Jangi Thopan project will be built falls in an active landsliding zone and tampering with the local landscape will prove fatal for the people of the area,” he added.
The Him Lok Jagriti Manch and Zila Van Adhikar Sangharsh Samiti of Kinnaur, in the run-up to November 12 polls, have sought the candidates in the fray to clarify their position on the construction of hydropower projects in the district and steps they will take to stop the destruction of the environment on an affidavit.
“We also seek to know from the candidates what they would do to settle the individual and community claims under Forest Rights Act,” said RS Negi, a retired IAS officer and convener of the Him Lok Jagriti Manch that has been running a campaign for almost last two decades against the environmental degradation in the tribal regions. “We are trying to draw the attention of the political parties as environmental degradation in a serious issue in this region,” he added.
“The ecology of the region is very fragile. Himalayas are relatively younger mountains and the entire Kinnaur lies in seismic zone 4. It’s highly prone to landslides. Kinnaur has witnessed some of the worst landslides in last five years, killing so many people including tourists,” said Jiya Lal Negi, a resident of Kalpa village, who is the president of Zila Van Adhikar Samiti.
They have also sought from the candidates clarity on their stance on the amendment made in the Forests Rights Act in 2022 revoking the condition of no-objection certificate from gram panchayats for the construction of dams and cumulative environmental impact assessment (CEIA) report that recommends certain areas in the trans-Himalayan region as ‘no-go zones’.
Calling for expeditious implementation of the Forest Rights Act, tribals from Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur districts have sought support from different political parties.
The Forest Rights Act, 2006, recognises the rights of forest-dwelling tribal communities and other traditional dwellers to forest resources. “More than 15 years have passed since this historical event, whereby rights of communities dependent on areas classified as ‘forest land’ were to be recognised after decades of being labelled as ‘encroachers’ facing the constant threat of eviction by the state,” said Jiya Lal.
“Despite having one of the highest percentages of total geographical area legally termed forest land, Himachal has the worst record in the implementation of this Act with mere 300 titles issued to date,” he added.
In the last five years, community voices from Kangra, Chamba, Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti, Sirmaur and Mandi have been raising the demand for the implementation of this law in the state. It was after this that the Himachal government was forced to announce that it would implement the Forest Rights Act in a mission mode in the state in 2018.
