Community leaders assure members as rumours of them being displaced start growing amid the governments plan for a 600-acre reserve forest
The tribals just want surety from the government that they won't be displaced from their ancestral land where they have been doing seasonal cultivation. File pic/Satej Shinde
While the state government has decided to declare 600-acre of a forested patch in Aarey Colony as reserve forest, a green activist who did not wish to be named said that a few locals are spreading wrong news to tribals that they will have to lose their land in the process.
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Hence to ensure that there is no misunderstanding, an important meeting was held on Sunday between the representatives from tribal hamlet and the members where the decision taken by the government was discussed in detail.
Tribals happy with govt
A member who attended the meeting told mid-day that tribal community is happy with the government's decision and have demanded that in this process the government should make sure that their community is not displaced from their ancestral land.
Prakash Bhoir a tribal from Aarey said, "We are very happy about the fact that Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government under the leadership of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has taken an important decision to protect Aarey's forest cover. We request the government to provide us with details about the 600-acre land that will be declared as a reserve forest. We are also confident that the government will ensure that the rights of the tribals are protected."
A local resident who did not wish to be named said, "There are some people who are deliberately spreading wrong information among the tribals saying that if Aarey becomes a reserve forest, they will be thrown out."
A wildlife forensic lab
"The process of identifying the land has already begun and a forested patch which will be good for wildlife will be selected. There are also plans to set up a wildlife forensic lab at the site of the Metro III car depot," said a highly placed source in Forest Department.
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