J&K Shifts Forest Rights Oversight to Tribal Agency to Prevent Unlawful Evictions
Cabinet Minister Javed Ahmed Rana has designated the Tribal Affairs department as the primary authority for Forest Rights Act implementation. The shift halts eviction notices by the Forest Department while verification of long-term dwellers continues.
Key takeaways
- The Tribal Affairs department is now the official nodal agency for implementing the Forest Rights Act 2006 in Jammu and Kashmir.
- J&K Forest Department is prohibited from issuing eviction notices to long-term dwellers until the verification process is complete.
- Three-member Project Monitoring Units have been created to ensure legal procedures are followed during land claim settlements.
- The Gram Sabha holds the statutory power to receive and verify claims before forwarding them to the Sub-Divisional Level Committee.
- Legislative Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather warned that the FRA must not be used as a pretext for new illegal encroachments on forest land.
Administrative Reorganization of Forest Rights Control
In a significant shift of administrative authority, Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet Minister Javed Ahmed Rana announced on August 1, 2026, that the Tribal Affairs department will now serve as the nodal agency for the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006. This move effectively strips the Forest Department of its unilateral role in managing land claims and halts the recent wave of eviction notices issued to forest inhabitants. Minister Rana, who manages the portfolios for Forest, Ecology and Environment, and Tribal Affairs, stated that members of Scheduled Tribes and traditional forest dwellers who have occupied these lands for decades will not be disturbed until the formal recognition and verification process concludes.
Procedural Safeguards and Monitoring
The government has established three-member Project Monitoring Units to oversee the transition and ensure adherence to statutory protocols. This directive follows a period of political friction regarding eviction drives in Jammu’s Sunjwan, Bathindi, Raika, and Sidhra areas, where local protests were supported by BJP legislators. The elected government had previously alleged that the Forest Department was operating under the influence of the Lok Bhavan rather than local executive directives.
- Deputy Commissioners have been instructed to accelerate the resolution of all pending FRA cases.
- The Gram Sabha remains the statutory authority for initiating the determination of individual and community forest rights under Section 6 of the Act.
- A three-tier mechanism governs the receipt, scrutiny, and mapping of claims before they are submitted to the Sub-Divisional Level Committee (SDLC).
Protection Against Harassment and Encroachment
During a public outreach event in Kanidajan, Legislative Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather addressed citizen grievances regarding forest official harassment and the disruption of agricultural activities. Rather confirmed that no individual would be permitted to violate FRA provisions, yet he issued a parallel warning against using the Act as a shield for new land encroachments. According to 2011 Census data, the region supports a Scheduled Tribe population of 12.75 lakh, with 8.10 lakh residing in the Jammu division and 4.64 lakh in the Kashmir division. The current policy focus aims to protect these genuine beneficiaries while maintaining the integrity of government property through fair and transparent legal implementation.
Source: The Hindu — National
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