Shimla, May 29,
A civil society alliance has urged the Himachal Pradesh government to act decisively and inclusively in implementing the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, emphasizing that over 3 lakh forest-dependent families could benefit if the law is executed in letter and spirit. In a detailed memorandum to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Himalaya Niti Abhiyan laid out specific recommendations to ensure a fair, transparent, and community-led rollout of the FRA across the state.
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The organization called for the formation of specialized teams at the state, district, and sub-divisional levels, incorporating experienced civil society members actively working on FRA issues. These teams, the memorandum stressed, should be tasked with planning, training, capacity building, and monitoring implementation. Further, it recommended the preparation and execution of forest conservation and management plans under Sections 4 and 5 of the Act, and the formation of Community Forest Resource Management Committees (CFRMCs) at the village level. These committees would lead the community-based conservation efforts. The Forest Department, it said, should offer technical support for participatory planning, while Gram Sabhas should be formally recognized and empowered as central authorities in forest governance and monitoring.
The appeal, signed by Guman Singh, Coordinator of Himalaya Niti Abhiyan, welcomed the government’s initiative to implement the FRA in a campaign mode but warned that unless backed by a sustained and inclusive approach, it risks repeating past exclusions. “This is a historic opportunity for Himachal Pradesh to emerge as a national model for ecological conservation and participatory forest governance,” Singh wrote.
The letter brings renewed focus to long-standing demands for the recognition of Individual Forest Rights (IFR), particularly for thousands of families displaced by major projects like the Bhakra and Pong Dams, and the BSL Canal, who have lived on forest land for over six decades without legal recognition. It also highlights the plight of nautor landholders, landless forest dwellers, and nomadic pastoralist groups like the Gaddis and Gujjars, whose customary rights remain undocumented. Furthermore, nearly 1.67 lakh applications submitted in 2002 seeking recognition under forest settlement processes remain unresolved, despite legal provisions.
The memorandum underlines the vital need to go beyond individual rights and give equal weight to Community Forest Rights (CFR) and Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR). These rights empower communities to access, manage, and conserve forest resources sustainably—a concept rooted in Himachal’s own traditional systems like Devta Vans (sacred groves), the Kangra Forest Cooperative Societies, and community-led conservation efforts such as the Cho Reclaim Society in the Swan River catchment area. Though integral to the local forest ethos, these systems lacked formal legal backing. The FRA offers a pathway to institutionalize and scale them through legal recognition.
The letter also pointed to glaring gaps in training and awareness at the grassroots. Current efforts led by Sub-Divisional Level Committees (SDLCs) to train Forest Rights Committees (FRCs) have seen less than 25% participation, with minimal involvement of Gram Sabha members. This lack of capacity and technical understanding has resulted in flawed or delayed claim processes.
Civil society organizations including People for Himalayan Development (PHD), Himdhara, Sahara, and Himlok Jagriti Manch have been instrumental in assisting communities across tribal and non-tribal areas in filing FRA claims. Their experience, Singh argued, should be utilized through official collaboration, rather than sidelined.
Concluding the memorandum, Guman Singh emphasized that the implementation of the FRA was not only a matter of justice but also a promise made in the ruling party’s election manifesto. “The time to act is now. Let Himachal set an example for the rest of the country in inclusive and ecological governance,” the letter stated.
