Tribal settlements in hill areas asked to pass resolutions in gram sabha meetings seeking basic amenities

File photo of Erode district Collector Raja Gopal Sunkara.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The district administration has asked 15 forest settlements in hill areas to conduct gram sabha meetings on December 27 and pass resolutions to fulfill basic amenities in their respective hamlets.

Collector Raja Gopal Sunkara in a communication said the Block Development Officers (BDOs) of Anthiyur, Talavadi and Sathyamangalam, had requested to conduct meetings in settlements in the village panchayats of Bargur, Hasanur, Talamalai and Guthiyalathur. As per the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 and The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006, gram sabha meetings need to be conducted in tribal areas and at settlements in forest areas.

The communication said meetings should be conducted in each of the listed hamlets and resolutions should be passed seeking fulfilment of basic amenities. The resolutions should be sent to the sub-divisional level committee for examination.

Resolutions that need to be passed in meetings at each hamlet were listed out in the communication sent to the BDOs. Amenities sought in each hamlets were, Bargur village panchayat — Anaipodu hamlet (tar-topped road for 840 metre), Thalakarai (concrete road for 600 metre), Thammutti (concrete road for 120 metre), Onnakarai (concrete road for 200 metre), Tholli (tar road for 1,800 metre), Solakanai (community hall, ration shop and anganwadi centre) and Kathirimalai (road, power connection, community hall and anganwadi centre).

In Talamalai panchayat – Mavanatham (tar road for 401 metre), Kalithimbam (tar road for 1,271 metre), Ramaranai (tar road for 1,068 metre), Talamalai (sub-station), Ittarai – (cell phone tower), Hasanur panchayat — Gethesal (tar road for 1,260 metre and mobile tower), Hasanur (cell phone tower) and Guthiyalathur panchayat — Malliamman Durgham (power connection).

But, Tamil Nadu Tribal People Association, said it is not appropriate to seek resolutions from gram sabhas to implement basic amenities as they were not constituted for that purpose. Also, BDOs have no rights to instruct to convene the gram sabha meetings under the FRA, said its district coordinator S. Mohan Kumar in a letter to the Collector. He said of the 18 works that were proposed to be taken up during the meetings, nine were related to roads, four related to buildings and two related to power supply. “Under Section 3(2) of the FRA, 2006, forest land can be diverted for fulfilling basic amenities. But, departments concerned should prepare proposals for the works and submit it along with the recommendations of the gram sabha,” he added. He said the letter is contrary to the existing practice and wanted it to be withdrawn.