Finally, forest village dwellers in Darjeeling can get pattas

HT, 22 Sep 2016,DARJEELING: Finally, here’s some good news for the forest village dwellers of Darjeeling. As per a recent government order, they will now be able to claim land documents (pattas) for the land they live in.

Gorkhaland Territorial Administration sabhasads, who have been authorised to act as chairperson of the Forest Rights Committees (FRCs), will oversee the process.

The GTA held a meeting with various forest dwellers’ associations in Darjeeling on Wednesday to streamline this exercise and ensure that it is error-free. An order from the office of the district land and land reforms officer, Darjeeling, on September 14 states that forest rights committees are directed to invite claims from individuals and communities for pattas under Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers’ Recognition of Forest Rights Act 2006.

A period of three months should be given for submitting the claims and then disposed of accordingly.

The distribution of forest pattas on forest land could not be completed in Darjeeling Hills at an earlier date owing to the absence of panchayat bodies. Incidentally, the last panchayat election was held in 2000 and since 2005 the panchayat system has been defunct in the Hills.

The order further states that the tribal affairs department, Government of West Bengal, through a notification clarified that GTA sabhasads have been authorised to act as chairpersons of FRCs (in the absence of panchayat bodies). As per the provision of the above act, FRCs were then constituted in the Darjeeling Hills.

“We will distribute patta claim forms through the district collectorate. Three months time will be given following which the claims will be disposed,” said Norbu G Lama, GTA Sabhasad.

“It has been a long struggle for us. We hope that the claims are disposed of at the earliest without any corruption and nepotism,” said LK Gurung, secretary of a forest dwellers’ organisation.