All India Khet Mazdoor Kisan Sabha (AIKMKS) national co-convener and State president of Rythu Coolie Sangham of Andhra Pradesh Simhadri Jhansi on Thursday said that passage of the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill-2023 in Parliament would pave the way for corporate companies to loot minerals and other natural wealth.
She said that the government had relaxed almost all environmental norms in the name of development and citing the need for strategic projects along international borders.
Speaking to the media in Parvatipuram, Ms. Jhansi said that AIKMKS would continue to oppose the amendments to the Forest (Conservation) Act-1980 as it would allow non tribal people to grab lands on hilly areas and drive away Adivasis from their habitations.
“Floods and natural calamities are the order of the day in Himalayan States with violation of rules and regulations framed in the existing Forest Acts. The latest amendments will lead to more disasters as many rivers and rivulets will change their course with multiple excavations in forests and adjacent areas,” she said.
Ms. Jhansi has also accused the Union government of being responsible for violence in Manipur as dominant sections were being encouraged to grab forest lands.
“Traditional tribal ethnic groups are opposing such relaxations and leading to clashes in the North-eastern State. Such clashes and violence may be the order of the day in the future in almost all States with the government’s relaxations in the Forest (Conservation) Act-1980 in spite of objections from many civil society groups,” she added.
Meanwhile, she hailed the fruitful discussions between AIKMKS national convener Subodh Mitra and president of Kriti Kisan Union (KKU) Hardev Singh Sandhu and the latter’s decision to merge his organisation with AIKMKS to protect the interest of farmers and tribal people. She said that such unity among civil society groups would ensure more strength for leaders to fight against anti-democratic policies of the government.
