New Delhi: The Government on Friday described in the Lok Sabha that the powers proposed to be given to the forest officials to ‘shoot’ people acting against conservation of forests, as ‘little force’ with punishment for misuse.
The powers are to be given through amendments in the Indian Forest Act (IFA), 1927, a British relic, a ‘preliminary’ draft of which has been sent to the state governments for comments, and it will be later put in public domain for views from the stakeholders.
Environment and Forest Minister Prakash Javadekar disclosed this in a written reply to Sushil Kumar Singh (JD-U).
Even while denying any authority to the forest officials to shoot people in the name of ‘conservation,’ the minister said: "With an intention to prevent commission of offence in the forest, a provision has been proposed to empower forest officer to use little force, including fire arms with appropriate precaution under Section 66."
He said this power will be counterbalanced with punishment to the forest officer "for wrongful or vexatiously or unnecessarily seizures of the property on pretence of seizing property or who vexatiously and unnecessarily arrests any person."
The proposed amendments, however, actually provide immunity under the Indian Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure to the officials in the name of "effective implementation of Forest Acts and Rules." The officials will get powers to confiscate the properties.
The minister also denied any amendment to impose collective punishment on the entire village for any violation.
He said the village community will be assigned the responsibility to conserve and develop the village forest carved out of any forest or land for the socio-economic benefit of the community.
The minister said the proposal is to recognise the rights and role of the villagers in managing the village-forest through Joint Forest Management Committees.
He further clarified that these benefits to the villagers or their communities are not in derogation but in addition to the rights vested in the Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers under an Act enacted in 2006 which is known as the forest rights act.