Chennai: Nine years after the Forest Rights Act that aims at protecting the rights of tribals and non-tribals living in the forest came into effect, the Adi Dravidar welfare department has commenced groundwork to distribute title deeds to claimants.
The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006, known as Forest Rights Act, came into existence on December 29, 2006. But the process of distribution of title could not be initiated in Tamil Nadu because of a stay granted by the Madras high court in 2008.
Even as the stay prevented distribution of title deeds in the state, all other states went ahead with the implementation of the act receiving over 44 lakh claims and distributed 17 lakh title deeds.
Though Tamil Nadu have received 21,781 claims and 3,723 titles are ready for distribution, the state government had not been able to distribute the titles due to the high court stay.
The apex court had vacated the high court stay in February this year. “Necessary groundwork has been carried out for the distribution of title deeds to the claimants and according to geo-referencing, individual rights have been taken up and the distribution of title is under process,” said policy note of Adi Dravidar welfare department for 2016-17.
After the completion of the geo-referencing process, 1330 title deeds in 10 districts were ready for distribution, the note said. Title deeds would be conferred to the tribals who have been residing in the forest prior to December 13, 2005 and non tribals who have been residing in the forest for three generations for 75 years as on December 13, 2015.
