Forest outfits request Nota, not vote

TT, Siliguri, March 21: Two associations that work for forest dwellers of north Bengal today said they would ask the residents to press the Nota buttons when they go to vote on April 17 to protest the non-implementation of the Forest Rights Act.

Lal Singh Bhujel, the convener of Uttarbanga Van Jan Shramajeevi Manch, an organisation working for the rights of forest dwellers, said: "The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, or the Forest Rights Act has not been implemented in the 250-odd forest villages in north Bengal. Under it, there are several provisions related to the rights of forest dwellers, their socio-economic development and infrastructure improvement of their villages."

Bhujel said at a new conference here today: "Due to the lackadaisical attitude of the central and state governments, around 2 lakh people who reside in these forest villages are being deprived of these benefits. That is why we have decided to launch a campaign in these forest villages and request each forest dweller to press the Nota button in protest."

The Nota option stands for none of the above, which means the voter is disinclined to vote for any of the candidates contesting in that constituency.

He added: "We had made the same appeal before the Parliament polls in 2014 but leaders of all political parties approached us and promised that they would see that the Act was fully implemented in the forest villages of north Bengal. But they turned their backs after the polls and this time, we are not going to pay heed to their persuasions or commitments. All these parties should know that they cannot hoodwink forest dwellers before every election."

In north Bengal, forest villages are spread across 12 Assembly segments in Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts.

There are around 1 lakh voters in these villages.

"Even today, forest villagers do not have papers to prove that they own the land on which they live and they have to obtain permission from foresters (to repair their homes). Even the routine development schemes of the state and the Centre cannot be implemented in these villages. There are tiny hamlets where there are no proper roads, drinking water supply or irrigation canals," Rajkumar Rezal, convener of the Himalayan Forest Villagers' Organisation, said at the news conference here.

"There are several instances to show that the rights of forest dwellers under the Act are being infringed upon by the state government, particularly by the state forest department. The central government has turned a blind eye and is not taking any initiative to ensure that the Act is implemented in villages of north Bengal. Such circumstances have forced us to take the decision to press Nota..." he added.

The two apolitical organisations have a substantial base in the forest villages.

"If the voters in the forest villages endorse the decision and plan to press the Nota buttons in the EVMs it might pose a problem for the candidates in some of the seats of in the Dooars belt - particularly in seats like Kumargram, Nagrakata, Kalchini and Madarihat - where there are indications of close contests. The decision might affect the results as each political party, particularly the Left and the Congress, have voters in these villages," said an observer.

Senior political leaders said they would approach the two associations.

"We will surely speak to them and try to know their problems. The state has been consistently working for the downtrodden and there is no reason why the Act cannot be implemented," a Trinamul leader based in Alipurduar said. "There might be some technical problems but we will take it up at the appropriate quarters after the polls," he added.