In Gujarat, out of 182,869 tribal claims for land pattas/rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 57,054 claims were denied by various administrations. Among the forest areas where tribes sought their first rights, approximately 16,070.58 hectares of land were diverted for development projects under the Forest Conservation Act 1980. Moreover, about 10,832.3 hectares of land were allocated for compensatory afforestation, reflecting a reduction of 5,238.28 hectares in land designated for forests in Gujarat. Congress MP Amee Yagnik brought attention to tribal land rights in the Rajya Sabha on August 8, 2023.
The government’s response revealed that by November 30, 2022, a total of 182,869 individual claims were submitted from the state, of which 57,054 claims were rejected. Parthiv Raj Kathwadia, a State Congress spokesperson, accused the government of depriving 91,183 tribals in the state of their forest land rights. He noted that this meant almost half, 49.8%, of tribal applicants seeking benefits under the Jungle Land Act were denied their rights. Presently, 34,129 applications are awaiting clearance. Kathwadia criticized the BJP government for not fulfilling its promises to the tribal population.
The government cited reasons for claim rejections, such as not occupying forest land before December 13, 2005, multiple claims, and insufficient documentary evidence. On August 7, 2023, BJP MP Varun Gandhi inquired about forest land usage in projects under the Forest Conservation Act 1980. The Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Department provided nationwide data. The response revealed that over the past 15 years, around 16,070.58 hectares of land were diverted for various categories under Compensatory Afforestation. In contrast, 10,832.3 hectares of land were allocated for compensatory afforestation from 2008 to 2022-23. This indicates that the Gujarat government utilized 16,070.58 hectares of forest land for development projects over the last 15 years.
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