GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS

LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO 2977
TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2004

FOREST ENCROACHERS IN A & N ISLANDS


2977. SMT. KARUNA SHUKLA


Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS be pleased to state:-


(a) the details of funds sanctioned to the Andaman and Nicobar
Administration by the Union Government as a package to the Post-1978
forest encroachers indicating the date and year of its sanction;

(b) whether the said amount has been disbursed by the administration
to the encroachers;

(c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and

(d) the present status of those 4000 encroacher families and their
means of livelihood?


ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS (SHRI
NAMO NARAIN MEENA)

(a) In order to rehabilitate the families identified to be evicted
from the forest lands in Andaman and Nicobar Islands in pursuance of
the order of the Hon`ble Supreme Court of India, the Union Government
decided to extend to them, in addition to allotment of alternative
land subject to its availability, the following facilities-




(i) one time financial assistance of Rs. 75,000 per family to enable
the encroachers to shift
to the new sites,



(ii) supply of ration at the rate of 12 kg. per head per month over a
period of six months,



(iii) employment of one person from each family consisting of a
maximum of five members and of
two persons from each family consisting of more than five members for
a maximum period of
two years at the rate admissible to a Daily Rated Mazdoor (DRM), and



(iv) payment of hostel fee at the rate of Rs. 400 per month per head
for two school going children per family.






Formal sanction of expenditure for supply of ration for an amount of
Rs. 0.94 crore was issued vide letter dated 07.03.2003 of the Ministry
of Home Affairs. This was subsequently augmented to Rs. 2.02 crore on
10.10.2003. Besides this, financial sanction of Rs. 48.84 crore for
incurring expenditure on other items of the rehabilitation package was
issued on 13.05.2003.

(b)&(c) While steps were being taken by the Andaman and Nicobar
Administration to implement the rehabilitation package, the Local
Borns` Association and Others filed a Special Leave Petition before
the Hon`ble Supreme Court of India challenging the said rehabilitation
package. The Hon`ble Court has stayed the implementation of the
rehabilitation package, and therefore, the package has not been
implemented so far.

(d) The encroacher families are still staying in the forest area in
absence of any alternate arrangement for their stay in the revenue
area. They are surviving by alternate livelihood measures, such as,
fishing, agriculture and agriculture labour.