Issue project displaced person certificates to forest dwellers moving out, environmentalists tell government

Wildlife conservationist advocates for issuing project displaced person certificates to reduce man-animal conflict & preserve forests & wildlife sanctuaries. Minister for Forests & Ecology assures of considering it positively.

Environmentalists have suggested several measures to reduce man-animal conflict and preserve forests and wildlife sanctuaries.

Among these is a request to the State government to facilitate the movement of tribals and other residents of forests out of these protected areas. This, they say, is facilitated by providing benefits such as reservation and land grants.

This has to be followed by expediting the process of issuing project displaced person certificates to those displaced by the declaration of wildlife sanctuaries. It can help them settle in revenue villages, they say.

“Most of the residents of forests are willing to come out if given proper facilities. It can be achieved by providing additional benefits to such displaced families. This can be kick-started by issuing project displaced person certificates,” said wildlife conservationist Giridhar Kulkarni, who has been advocating their cause.

He believes that these certificates issued to eligible persons can have several positive effects, including conservation, proliferation of wildlife, focused development and reduction of burden on forests.

“Maharashtra has succeeded to a significant extent by issuing project displaced person certificates. The Maharashtra Project Affected Persons Rehabilitation Act 1999 empowers the State government and its officers to provide benefits to displaced persons, including reservation in jobs and education. The district collector certifies that a family is eligible for such benefits and issues the certificates to the affected persons in those families,” he said.

“The collector has a duty to provide developed land to beneficiaries who have lost land or dwelling houses to projects. The Maharashtra Act clarifies that this is in accordance with the State policy in line with the spirit of Article 39 b of the Constitution,” he said.