INDIA: Stop forced evictions of Gond tribals in the name of 'saving' tigers
More than 200 Gond tribals are facing serious threat of forced evictions in Madhya Pradesh State of Central India for expansion of Panna Tiger Reserve. Sign and share the petition to call on Indian authorities to take immediate steps to stop the forced evictions and protect their rights over their lands and forests. Online Petition : https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Indias_Minister_of_Tribal_Affairs_Jual_Oram_Stop_forced_evictions_of_Gond_tribals_in_the_name_of_saving_tigers/?aZQMNjb Right now, more than 200 Gond tribals in Madhya Pradesh State of Central India are facing serious threat of forced evictions from their houses and lands for expansion of Panna Tiger Reserve. Local police and forest officials descended in their village on Saturday (19 Sep) and threatened to evict them forcefully if they do not vacate willfully in the next few days. The Gond people in the Umaravan village have long survived by living off their land and forests. The Panna District Collector had served the Gonds legal notice to evict from in February with offer of cash compensation. When they objected to the notice, they were coerced to give consent without written or accurate information for their resettlement and livelihood alternatives. They have not accepted the compensation amounts forcefully deposited in their bank accounts. Many of them have received title deeds to their lands while others were awaiting decisions in village council process of land titling that was ongoing. The Gonds are one of the largest tribal communities in central India. They have been guardians of the forests for generations. Ongoing efforts for acquisition of their lands to expand the Tiger Reserve is blatant violation of their rights as Scheduled Tribes under Forests Rights Act of India and as indigenous peoples under international laws. The Gonds and their advocate organizations/individuals have filed a writ petition at the State High Court demanding acquisition of Gond lands and expansion of the Tiger Reserve be halted and their rights be protect as per Forest Rights Act and other national laws of India. Hearing on the case is scheduled for 28 September. They have sent urgent appeal to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for immediate intervention. Sign and share the petition to urge the Government of India to take necessary steps, without delay, to stop forced evictions of indigenous Gond people from their lands and protect their rights over their lands, territories and resources, in consultation with them. Updated information received on 23 September 2015 After the villager were served a notice to vacate the village from the Panna District Dollector in February, the district administration, in August, disconnected the electricity lines and other development facilities to the village and let loose elephants in the forest around Umravan village to create a situation of panic and force the tribals to flee the village. Following the threats of local police and forest officials on 19 September, 51 off the 108 families have already left. The rest 57 families continue to insist that they will not leave their home, including 32 women and 30 children. On Wednesday, April 9, 2014 at 2:07:35 PM UTC+5:30, Sagar G wrote: > > As Written previously also, any displacement with out recognition of > forest rights of the tribal community is a violation of provisions of the > FRA, 2006. In case of baigas, they are Primitive Tribal groups, so there is > provision of habitat rights under FRA. Sadly, on one has been given this > right till now in India. But, we have been working to form the strong > foundation for this. > > Best, > Santosh > > > On Wed, Apr 9, 2014 at 12:35 AM, AYUSH Adivasi Yuva Shakti < > adiy...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> >> >> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- >> From: Survival International <info....@survivalinternational.org> >> Date: Tue, Apr 8, 2014 at 11:11 PM >> Subject: Urgent Action: Stop tribal families being evicted from Tiger >> Reserves >> To: AYUSH <adiy...@gmail.com> >> >> >> >> <http://survival-international.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=b14580b05b832fb959c4ee444&id=973c163741&e=fdc6267ad9> >> We >> help tribal peoples defend their lives, protect their lands and determine >> their own futures. >> >> Members of the Khadia tribe were harassed and pressured for three years >> to leave their ancestral homeland, after it was turned into the Similipal >> Tiger Reserve. They were removed from the Reserve in December 2013. They >> had been promised money, livestock and land in compensation but have >> received almost nothing. They now live in squalid conditions under plastic >> sheets. >> URGENT ACTION Stop tribal families being evicted from Tiger Reserves >> >> Over 20 Baiga and Gond tribal villages have already been evicted from >> Kanha Tiger Reserve (India) in the name of conservation. More are being >> pressured to leave in the coming weeks. The Baiga’s survival, which is >> intricately connected to the forest, is under threat. They worship forest >> deities, harvest goods from the forest for most of their needs and make >> their living from forest products. >> >> The tribes have co-existed with the tigers for generations, protecting >> the forest the big cats need to survive. But across India, in tiger >> reserves like Similipal and Kanha, tribal people are treated not as allies >> but as enemies of conservation. >> >> Whilst the tribes are threatened with eviction and banned from entering >> the core zone, even for worship or medicinal plants, hundreds of tourist >> jeeps rush through the reserve every day trying to spot tigers. >> >> There are reports that Baiga and Gond families have been tricked into >> signing blank pieces of paper that are then used to show their 'consent' to >> being moved from their villages - a total violation of their rights. >> Please send a message to India's President calling for no tribes to be >> evicted from Kanha Tiger Reserve without their genuine consent. Click >> here >> <secy.presid...@rb.nic.in?bcc=info%2bacti...@survivalinternational.org&subject=Please%20act%20to%20stop%20the%20Baiga%20and%20Gond%20being%20evicted%20from%20their%20homeland&body=Dear%20President%2C%0A%0ABaiga%20and%20Gond%20tribal%20families%20in%20Kanha%20Tiger%20Reserve%20are%20threatened%20with%20eviction.%20They%20are%20being%20put%20under%20pressure%20to%20%E2%80%98agree%E2%80%99%20to%20be%20relocated%20outside%20the%20Reserve.%20%0A%0AThere%20is%20no%20evidence%20that%20these%20people%20cannot%20coexist%20with%20the%20wildlife%20of%20Kanha%20%E2%80%93%20as%20they%20have%20done%20for%20generations.%0A%0AIndia%20is%20a%20signatory%20of%20the%20UN%20Declaration%20on%20the%20Rights%20of%20Indigenous%20Peoples%2C%20under%20which%20it%20has%20acknowledged%20that%20%E2%80%98No%20relocation%20shall%20take%20place%20without%20the%20free%2C%20prior%20and%20informed%20consent%20of%20the%20indigenous%20peoples%20concerned'.%0A%0APlease%20ensure%20the%20Baiga%20and%20Gond%20can%20continue%20to%20live%20on%20their%20ancestral%20land%20in%20the%20reserve.%20%0A%0ASincerely%2C> >> >> to send a pre-written message Or if this doesn't work for you, you can >> use this text to send an email to the President at: >> secy.presid...@rb.nic.in >> >> Dear President >> >> Baiga and Gond tribal families in Kanha Tiger Reserve are threatened with >> eviction. They are being put under pressure to ‘agree’ to be relocated >> outside the Reserve. >> >> There is no evidence that these people cannot coexist with the wildlife >> of Kanha – as they have done for generations. >> >> India is a signatory of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous >> Peoples, under which it has acknowledged that ‘No relocation shall take >> place without the free, prior and informed consent of the indigenous >> peoples concerned'. >> >> Please ensure the Baiga and Gond can continue to live on their ancestral >> land in the reserve. >> >> Sincerely, >> >> If you have a few minutes, please write your own message: This is much >> more powerful. If your email bounces, please don't worry about letting >> us know. It's probably because the recipient has blocked their account due >> to the high number of protest emails. It means the campaign is working! >> >> >> Thank You. >> >> SUCCESS! Thanks to your support of Survival’s 2-year global campaign, >> over 60% of the illegal invaders on the land of the Awá tribe >> <http://survival-international.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b14580b05b832fb959c4ee444&id=c2eb838de2&e=fdc6267ad9> >> >> have now been evicted. The construction of a third operation basecamp is >> now complete and the work is set to continue, to ensure all invaders are >> removed and a permanent land-protection plan is implemented. >> Share this email on Facebook >> <http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fus1.campaign-archive2.com%2F%3Fu%3Db14580b05b832fb959c4ee444%26id%3Da6f323e828&t=Urgent%20Action%3A%20Stop%20tribal%20families%20being%20evicted%20from%20Tiger%20Reserves> >> Share >> this email on Twitter >> <http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Urgent%20Action%3A%20Stop%20tribal%20families%20being%20evicted%20from%20Tiger%20Reserves%20-%20http%3A%2F%2Feepurl.com%2FR-8gf> >> >> >> >> Survival International, 6 Charterhouse Buildings, London, EC1M 7ET, >> United Kingdom. >> >> Survival International USA, 2325 3rd Street, Suite 401, San Francisco, CA >> 94107, USA >> >> www.survivalinternational.org >> <http://survival-international.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b14580b05b832fb959c4ee444&id=d9e3183746&e=fdc6267ad9> >> >> -- >> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Big Achievement! : Soon Tribal Community will get Intellectual Property >> Rights for Warli Art, Its in final Stage now (know more at www.warli.in) >> >> Subscribe AYUSH YouTube Channel (Viewed more than 1,20,000 minutes): >> http://www.youtube.com/user/adiyuva?sub_confirmation=1 >> >> Learn More about AYUSH online at : >> http://www.adiyuva.in/2013/10/ayush.html >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "AYUSH | adivasi yuva shakti" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to adiyuva+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> To post to this group, send email to adiyuva@googlegroups.com. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/adiyuva. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/adiyuva/CAHMsEBv9RzQ75adww%2BHfWUsfRw-iPMur65aiZs_Ezb3tfZ9A-A%40mail.gmail.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/adiyuva/CAHMsEBv9RzQ75adww%2BHfWUsfRw-iPMur65aiZs_Ezb3tfZ9A-A%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > > > > -- > > *Best,Santosh Gedam* > *Prime Minister's Rural Development Fellow* > > *Ministry of Rural Development, GOI* > > *Gadchiroli - Maharashtra* > *PGDM I Indian Institute of Management Bangalore* > *BTech I Chemical Engineer* > *Mob. 08275069556* > > > Justice seems to be selective and eluding those who need it the most - > Satyamev Jayate > > -- Learn More about AYUSH online at : http://www.adiyuva.in/2013/10/ayush.html --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "AYUSH | adivasi yuva shakti" group. 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