The last date for the State Government to receive claims from the people of villages in Rayagada and Kalahandi districts, where gram sabha are scheduled to be held to determine bauxite mining from Niyamgiri, expired on Sunday even as differences over the issue continue.
As per the April 18 Supreme Court judgment, the State Government had set July 14 as the last date for receiving claims of the locals regarding the project.
According to sources, more than 100 individual and collective claims have been received from the people of seven villages of Rayagada district where gram sabha will be held as per the decision of the State Government.
Claims have also been received by Kalahandi district administration from five villages where the gram sabha will be held.
The claims are mostly about religious belief of the local tribals and problem of displacement.
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) had criticised the State Government for holding the gram sabha only in 12 villages instead of 112 to decide on bauxite mining. The Dongiria Kondhs belonging to Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti (NSS) had also announced that they would organise gram sabhas in all the 112 villages.
The State Government has decided to hold gram sabhas in seven villages of Rayagada district from July 18 to August 19 and five villages in Kalahandi district from July 23 to 30.
The MoTA, in a letter to the Chief Secretary, had said that limiting the gram sabha to only a dozen villages would not be in line with Supreme Court order and the directions issued by the Ministry under Section 12 of Forest Rights Act (FRA).
The list of villages where rights of forest dwellers are guaranteed under FRA or where cultural and religious rights are likely to be affected cannot be arbitrarily decided by the State Government, the letter had stated.
“It is to be decided by the people (palli sabha) where claims would be filed in a transparent manner so that no gram sabha with a legitimate claim is left out of the process. This is in line with para 59 of the apex court judgment,” it stated.
Justifying its decision, the State Government had said that the Centre was free to approach the Supreme Court over its decision to select only 12 villages to hold gram sabhas.
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