Thuamul Rampur: The Forest Rights Act has remained largely confined to paper in Similipadar village under Karlapat panchayat in Thuamul Rampur block of Kalahandi district. Tribal families who have depended on water, forests and land for generations are still deprived of their legal rights. Although the historic Forest Rights Act, enacted in 2006, aimed to restore traditional rights to forest dwellers, administrative delays have left 69 families in the village still awaiting official recognition.
According to reports, during a Gram Sabha held on November 20, 2024, claims of 69 individuals for Individual Forest Rights (IFR) and Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR) over 665.562 hectares of forest land were approved. The approved claims were later forwarded by the Thuamul Rampur tehsildar to the Bhawanipatna sub-collector through Letter No. 2271/FRA dated December 18, 2024, for further action. However, despite 17 months having passed, the process has yet to reach its final stage.
The process of granting revenue village status to un-surveyed villages in the block, including Similipadar and Tentulipadar, has also remained stuck in bureaucratic delays for years. The initiative, which began during the tenure of former collector Parag Harshad Gavali, has reportedly failed to progress due to official apathy. Delays in resubmitting documents returned by the Board of Revenue have hindered the delivery of basic amenities and government welfare schemes to these villages.
Also Read : Odisha accords Habitat Rights to three PVTGs under FRA
The Forest Rights Committee and villagers have repeatedly raised the issue during grievance hearings before the district administration. Though assurances of an early resolution are given each time, residents say no visible progress has been made on the ground. Officials, including collectors and tehsildars, continue to change, but the fate of Similipadar residents remains unchanged.
“We have traditionally depended on forests for our livelihood. Even after submitting all documents, we fail to understand why the government is delaying the issuance of land titles,” villagers said, expressing frustration.
Residents have demanded immediate recognition of Similipadar and Tentulipadar as revenue villages and the distribution of forest rights pattas to eligible families.
Orissa POST – Odisha’s No.1 English Daily
