Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network
Ukhrul, March 30:
Altogether seven Forest Beat offices have been run over and demolished today in Ukhrul district by volunteers of the Working Group on Land and Natural Resources (WGLNR) on the ground that the forests in the hill areas do not come under the Reserved Forest Act (RFA) and as such establishing of Forest Beat offices in tribal areas amounts to violating the age-old tribals' rights.
The Working Group on Land and Natural Resources (WGLNR) is a committee constituted by four zonal students' bodies of Ukhrul district from West, East, North and South zones.
Talking to NNN today, convenor of the committee Seth Satshang said that Forest Beat offices at Jessami, Kharasom, Long-pi, Kamjong, Kamnom, Finch-Corner and Hundung were destroyed on Sunday by the volunteers of the WGLNR.
Seth Satshang stated that the volunteers used daos and hammers as tools to target and demolish the said offices.
There are altogether ten Forest Beat offices in the district.
The volunteers launched their action at around 10 am on Sunday to which they managed to destroy seven Forest Beat offices.
Convenor of WGLNR Seth Satshang explained that forests in the hills are governed by customary laws, rules, regulation and practices and that the tribal people do not require to pay any forest tax except annual house tax.
Further explaining, Satshang said that taxing on the tribal people for even domestic utilisation of forests products by the Forest department is the violation of the tribals' rights.
The source then disclosed that Rs 29, 27, 657 (twenty nine lakhs, twenty seven thousand six hundred fifty seven) has been collected by the Forest department as tax from the people of Ukhrul district in the year 2005-06 while in the year 2006-07 Rs Fifty lakhs, seventy two thousand six hundred thirty one) has been collected.