Jammu and Kashmir accelerates FRA implementation, warns Forest Department against evictions

The Story in Brief

Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet Minister Javed Ahmed Rana, who holds the Forest, Ecology and Environment and Tribal Affairs portfolios, announced on August 1, 2026 that the Tribal Affairs department will be the nodal agency to implement the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA). He warned that eviction notices should not be issued by the Forest Department without following the prescribed procedure and said forest dwellers would not be evicted until recognition and verification are complete. A three‑member Project Monitoring Unit has been set up and deputy commissioners have been asked to speed up pending FRA cases.

The announcement followed months of tensions between the Lok Bhavan and the elected government over eviction drives in Jammu areas including Sunjwan, Bathindi, Raika and Sidhra, and protests by BJP legislators. The government has expedited the three‑tier claims process under the FRA, noting the Gram Sabha’s statutory role under Section 6 to receive, scrutinise and forward mapped recommendations to the Sub‑Divisional Level Committee. The 2011 Census records Jammu and Kashmir’s Scheduled Tribe population at 12.75 lakh.

The Indian Opinion

The facts show a formal shift of responsibility to the Tribal Affairs department and an official reminder that the FRA’s procedures must be followed. This response addresses villagers’ complaints about eviction notices and seeks to accelerate claim verification. At the same time, public accounts describe political friction between local government and the Lok Bhavan, and protests by legislators, which can colour how actions are perceived.

An ordinary reader should note two uncertainties: the report does not detail specific pending cases or their merits, and allegations of harassment are not independently verified here. It is reasonable to expect authorities to stick to the FRA process while guarding against any misuse of the law for fresh encroachments, as the Speaker advised.

Original article: J&K speeds up FRA implementation; warns Forest Dept. against eviction notices (The Hindu)

This story was summarised and commented on by AI from the source linked above.