GUWAHATI: Finally, the Assam government will come up with a notification for rehabilitation of 2,000 landless residents of Laika and Dodhia in Dibru-Saikhowa National Park in upper Assam’s Tinsukia district.
This was decided in a high level meeting to discuss a gamut of issues related to Forest Rights Act, 2006 here on Friday.
Following the destruction in 1950, the villagers belonging to the indigenous Mising tribe were given rehabilitation as a temporary measure in the then Dibru forest reserve and have not had permanent housing or land pattas ever since. Most of the people of the two villages were relocated from the Murkongselek area of Dhemaji district.
Over 10,000 people, who are currently residents of the forest villages, have remained cut off from the mainland – without access to basic facilities like electricity and water supply – engulfed by the mighty Brahmaputra in the North and Dibru river in the West.
Not only that, the villages face the wrath of flood and erosion every year during monsoon, compelling the people to seek shelter in relief camps.
At the directive of chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, a high-level meeting was held at the office conference room of tribal affairs minister Ranoj Pegu, in which environment and forest minister Parimal Suklabaidya, MLA Bhuban Pegu, principal secretary (environment and forest), Avinash P Joshi, principal secretary (WPT and BC), Mukesh Sahu, PCCF cum Hoff, PCCF Wildlife, commissioner and secretary, environment and forest and other senior officials from WPT and BC department took part.
The meeting emphasised on preparing a roadmap for implementing the Forest Rights Act, 2006 on a mission mode with WPT and BC department being the nodal department and environment and forest associate department.
State forest minister Suklabaidya directed the senior forest officials to instruct all divisional forest officers (DFOs) to coordinate with deputy commissioners of concerned districts to implement the Forest Rights Act, 2006 in letter and spirit.
