Deputy Commissioner, Kathua, Rahul Pandey today chaired a meeting of District Level Committee on Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 to discuss the new claims.
After a comprehensive discussion on different aspects of the Act the concerned officers of Forest, Revenue and Rural Development Department briefed the DC about the current status and other related necessities with regard to its implementation at grassroots level.
The meeting discussed 25 and after thorough deliberations, 19 cases were cleared by the DLC. Speaking on the occasion, the DC said that the act has proved instrumental in granting individual and community rights to genuine beneficiaries who rely on forests for their livelihood.
He directed ADCs and SDMs to expedite the disposal of cases under FRA besides ensuring fulfillment of codal formalities so as to rule out any pendency later on.
Pertinently, the Forest Rights Act, 2006 recognizes the rights of the forest dwelling tribal communities and other traditional forest dwellers to forest resources, on which these communities were dependent for a variety of needs, including livelihood, habitation and other socio-cultural needs.
The meeting was attended by ADC Billawar, ADC Basohli, SDMs, ACR, DFO Basohli, Billawar, Kathua and PRIs among others.