The Arunachal Pradesh Women’s Welfare Society (APWWS) has appealed to the state government to conduct a thorough inquiry into the forceful seizure of wild herbs, vegetables, and other food items sourced from forests by daily wage earners and vegetable vendors in Itanagar recently by the district administration.
The APWWS has also demanded that the administration provide appropriate compensation to the affected vendors and take action against the officials involved in the seizure of the traditional food items.
What prompted the administration to target the women vendors, considering that the law is clear and ensures the rights of indigenous communities over certain forest produce under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006?
Following the controversy, the chief conservator of forests issued a statement saying that the Forest Department had not authorised anyone to carry out the seizure of vegetables and herbs from vendors in Itanagar.
The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, does not authorise any person or government authority to engage in wrongful seizure of any produce that the people of Arunachal Pradesh have traditionally depended on, including herbs and other organic leafy vegetables, the statement said. The government must investigate the case, assign responsibility, and compensate the vendors for the losses they have suffered. If the law is broken by the law keepers themselves, it is time for self reflection.
The administration should be sensitised to ensure that such actions are not repeated.