With the gram sabhas in 12 villages identified by the state government to decide the fate of a bauxite mining project at Niyamgiri all set to begin on Thursday, the district administrations of Kalahandi and Raygada have received as many as 64 forest right claims (both individual and community) for validation at these vallge meetings.
The Gram Sabhas will also consider the religious and cultural rights of Dongaria Kondhs residing on Niyamgiri hills.
Two community forest right claims have been filed from Serkapadi village in Muniguda block of Rayagada district where the first gram sabha will take place on July 18.
About 56 individual and community forest right claims have been received in Raygada district where gram sabhas will be conducted in seven villages. Of these, 40 objections have been filed by individuals and the balance by the communities. All the 40 individual claims received are old claims.
A maximum of four community claims are received from Lakhapadar village while other six villages namely Jarapa, Khambesi, Kesarpadi, Batudi, Serkapadi and Lamba have filed two community forest right claims each.
Similarly, in Kalahandi district, where village meetings will be conducted in five villages, eight community forest right claims have been received from Lanjigrah block. The Kalahandi district administration has received only four fresh claims under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006. Other four claims are old claims.
Village assembly meetings will be conducted in Tadijhola, Palberi, Phuldumer, Ijurupa and Kunakadu villages. Except Tadijhola, two community claims each have been received from the rest villages.
The month-long gram sabha proceedings would culminate on August 19.
An official in the state SC and ST development department said, all the gram sabha proceedings will be video recorded and the Gram Panchayat secretary will be act as secretary of the gram sabhas whose proceedings will be directly monitored by respective district judges to maintain transparency.
The quorum requires minimum 50 per cent attendance of adults for the meetings with one-third women participants.
It may be noted, the Supreme Court, on April 18, had directed to complete gram sabhas within three months to get the mandate of the local people regarding the mining project. The judgment had also called for maintaining the community, individual, cultural and religious rights of the local inhabitants.
