Tech Threat to Tribals' Rights Over Land

OREST officers are harassing us for growing crops on our traditional lands," complained Shiv Prasad Mavasi, 45, a member of the Gond tribe at Turrah village of Satna district in Madhya Pradesh.

- Jitendra Choubey

OREST officers are harassing us for growing crops on our traditional lands," complained Shiv Prasad Mavasi, 45, a member of the Gond tribe at Turrah village of Satna district in Madhya Pradesh. He has been running from pillar to post ever since the Supreme Court directed all states to evict dwellers whose individual forest rights (IFR) applications were rejected under the Forest Rights Act 2006 or FRA in February 2019. The order left around 24 lakh forest dweller families, especially tribals, in the lurch. In MP alone, over 3.5 lakh families were affected.

"They destroy our ready-to-harvest crops such as wheat or vegetables by letting animals graze. Our Gram Sabha (Village Council) approved our family's rights over 4 acres of land but officials at the sub-division level committee (SDLC) rejected it without giving proper reasons. Now, my field has been fenced by the forest department," informed Mavasi.

He filed a fresh application on his claim before the Gram Sabha in 2022. This time he was directed by village nodal officers (VNO) to upload the Gram Sabha-approved land documents on a mobile application called 'Van Mitra' for further processing.