JOIN USThe National Committee for Protection of Natural Resources (NCPNR) founder-president S R Hiremath, on Thursday urged the State government to immediately implement the Supreme Court direction on transfer of village community land.
On February 1, 2011, the Supreme Court had declared transfer of village community land for private and commercial use as illegal and directed the states to take immediate steps to evict encroachers.
“However, the State government has done nothing in this regard.” The Supreme Court had directed state governments to prepare schemes for eviction of illegal occupants of village community land and restore it back for the purpose it was meant for and had observed that such schemes must provide for speedy eviction so that a logical end is achieved.
A Bench of Justices Markandey Katju and Gyan Sudha Misra had said: “Long duration of illegal occupation or expenditure on construction or even political connections must not be treated as a justification for condoning this illegal act or for regularising the illegal possession.”
The Bench, noting that in many states, the governments themselves have issued orders permitting allotment of gram sabha land to private persons and commercial enterprises on payment of some money, said even such orders are “illegal”.
Hiremath, while accusing the government of inaction, said that his organisation will take the matter up in a big way if the government does not act on the SC direction.
Campaign against the corrupt
NCPNR, Jan Sangram Parishad (JSP) and Gram Ganarajya Vedike (GGV), who have been running a campaign against illegal mining and related matters, have planned a nation-wide campaign (in select places of eight states) on the anniversary of ‘Quit India Day’.
The campaign will focus on ‘community control over natural resources: water, forest, land, minerals and seeds’ and is aimed at removing corrupt people from society so that natural resources can be protected.