Twitter campaign by environment enthusiasts demand scrapping of Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill
Nature and environment enthusiasts initiated a Twitter campaign on Monday to voice their concerns against the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill 2023. During the campaign, several environment activists and enthusiasts tweeted about the potential setbacks of the proposed amendment to the Forest (Conservation) Act.
Prominent figures, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi, the Forest, Environment and Climate Change Ministry, and other political figures, were tagged in the tweets as part of the awareness campaign.
The main demand of the campaign was the withdrawal of the proposed amendment to safeguard Indian forests and promote their conservation. Several hashtags including #ScrapForestConservationAmendmentBill2023 and #SaveIndianForests were used during the campaign.
The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, which came into effect on October 25, 1980, was enacted to conserve forests by restricting de-reservation of forest and forest land for non-forest purposes. According to Sections 2 and 3 of the act, any de-reservation of forest land requires prior approval from the central government based on the advice of an advisory committee.
An exemption to the forest clearance rules was provided by the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights Act), 2006. Under this act, the central government recognized and vested forest rights, offering certain exemptions to forest clearance for scheduled tribes and other forest-dwelling communities.
However, the proposed Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 seeks to provide exemptions to forest land under the pretext of facilitating social, economic, and environmental needs. The exemptions are aimed at forest lands situated alongside a rail line or a public road maintained by the government, projects of national importance related to national security, construction of security and defense-related infrastructure, camps for paramilitary forces, and public utility projects. The amendment also includes provisions for granting forest land for non-forest activities, such as wireless communications, construction of fencing, bridges, culverts, check dams, waterholes, trenches, pipelines, establishment of zoos, safaris, and eco-tourism facilities.
The proposed amendment has raised several concerns. Firstly, it appears to be contradictory to the original intent of the 1980 Act, which was enacted to prevent de-reservation of forest land, conversion of forest land for non-forest purposes, and large-scale deforestation. Secondly, such forest clearance activities may infringe upon the rights of forest-dwelling communities protected under the 2006 Act, thereby weakening the existing protections. Thirdly, the proposed exemptions to forest lands do not involve the consent or clearance from relevant authorities such as Gram Sabhas, Sub-divisional level committees, District level committees, and State Level Monitoring Committees.
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BJP backs Amit Thackeray for Mahim, over Shinde Sena's candidate Sarvankar
Mumbai: The BJP has decided to support Amit Thackeray, son of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, for the Mahim constituency, despite its alliance with Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, which has fielded sitting MLA Sada Sarvankar. The decision has led to a three-way contest between Amit Thackeray, Sarvankar, and Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Mahesh Sawant in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly election on November 20.
The BJP reportedly expected Shinde’s Shiv Sena to withdraw Sarvankar in favour of Amit Thackeray, but Shiv Sena leaders argue this would risk losing votes to the Uddhav faction. Sarvankar, a three-time MLA and long-time Shiv Sena loyalist, appealed to Raj Thackeray to reconsider his son’s candidature, citing his commitment to the party under Bal Thackeray's leadership.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis confirmed BJP's support for Amit Thackeray, while indicating ongoing discussions with Shinde Sena leaders. Amid the standoff, Raj Thackeray maintained confidence that the next government will be led by the BJP, with support from MNS, though MNS is not formally part of the Mahayuti alliance.
