Times of India
About 1,500 tribal citizens celebrated Lokshahi Vijay Yatra (victory
of democracy) in the tribal town of Jawhar
They danced through the streets of the town to the tunes of
traditional tribal instruments like Tarpa, Dhol, and Toor.
The event was organized by Vayam movement to celebrate the
victory in getting information about Forest Rights claims. 1,274 citizens had
participated in the RTI Satyagraha organized to bring transparency in the
implementation of Forest Rights Act. This event was unique with a big number of
tribal people expressing their faith in democracy.
The implementation of Forest Rights Act began in 2008, however
tribal farmers are yet to get the ownership of ancestral lands that are in
Forest Department possession since British times. Jawhar, Vikramgad, and Dahanu
tehsils in Thane district have a huge number of complaints by tribal tillers
that they were given only a fraction of ownership thus keeping them deprived of
the actual land they have been holding. The additional collector's office at
Jawhar and the Sub-Divisional Officer did not give any information despite 1274
citizens filing RTI applications in April.
The case later went to the State Chief Information
Commissioner who gave a verdict in favour of the citizens. The SCIC ordered
immediate disclosure of information through letters, website, and through Gram
Panchayat notice boards. The SCIC also ordered that all tribal claimants
throughout the state should be given this information.
The tribal villagers participating in the Vayam movement saw
this as a victory of democracy. They proclaimed their happiness by the
traditional expression of dance. The Lokshahi Vijay Yatra received a tremendous
response from villagers and ten new villages also joined the movement. Vayam's
leading local activists Prakash Baraf and Anil Lohar addressed the mass at the
end of Yatra. Baraf read out the information he had received. He said the
Forest Department has filled their.
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