Editor,
In what appears to be a serious breach of both ethical and legal standards, the Forest Department, allegedly in collaboration with certain local individuals, has been accused of misusing funds allocated under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority Act (CAMPA), 2016 in Lower Dibang Valley district. This misuse includes illegal acquisition of ancestral land belonging to the Idu Mishmi tribe, without notifying or seeking consent from the rightful landowners even in areas already classified as dense forest.
The CAMPA was introduced with the noble aim of mitigating deforestation by ensuring that compensatory afforestation is undertaken whenever forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes. The core principle of CAMPA revolves around ecological restoration – planting new forests in degraded or non-forest areas to make up for environmental loss.
However, in a worrying trend that contradicts the fundamental purpose of the Act, forest officials in Lower Dibang Valley have been reported to take control of privately held and community-managed tribal land, misclassifying it as degraded or available land, despite it already being forested. This raises the question: why is afforestation being carried out in areas that are already densely forested?
Several reports from Lower Dibang Valley indicate that the Forest Department has been initiating plantation drives under the CAMPA scheme without informing or obtaining legal consent from the landowners, all of whom belong to the Idu Mishmi community. In most cases, the lands in question have been passed off as community-owned despite clear customary and documented claims existing in the name of tribal families.
Even more troubling is the involvement of certain local individuals who appear to act as middlemen or facilitators in the process. These individuals allegedly provide cover for these activities by misleading landowners or forging documentation that undermines legitimate ownership rights.
The involvement of local individuals in this land grab is particularly shameful. These are people from the same community who have knowingly conspired with outside forces to dispossess their own people for personal gain. Their betrayal is not only immoral but socially corrosive. Such individuals must face rigorous legal punishment and must be socially boycotted by the community. Turning a blind eye to their actions would set a dangerous precedent and erode the trust and unity that holds the Idu Mishmi community together. Their actions are nothing short of a violation of cultural integrity and communal ethics, and they should be held accountable-both legally and socially.
The alleged activities raise multiple legal red flags. According to Indian law, no land can be acquired or used for afforestation or conservation projects without proper notice, documentation, and the free, prior, and informed consent of the landowners, especially when it concerns Scheduled Tribes protected under the Constitution. The idea of selling or registering land under CAMPA without ownership consent amounts not only to civil violations but potentially to criminal offences such as land fraud and misuse of public funds.
In this case, CAMPA funds which are meant to enhance India’s forest cover and ecological balance are being used to illegitimately take over tribal lands, pushing vulnerable communities like the Idu Mishmis out of their ancestral territories. This is not just an environmental issue; it is a violation of tribal rights, constitutional safeguards, and international norms on indigenous land rights.
The implementation of afforestation projects on already densely forested land in Lower Dibang Valley defies the very rationale behind CAMPA. Instead of restoring degraded ecosystems or barren lands, these efforts appear to be tokenistic exercises, possibly aimed more at exhausting budget allocations than achieving genuine ecological outcomes.
Experts suggest that such acts are often driven by bureaucratic pressure to show fund utilization and may be aided by the lack of transparency and public participation in CAMPA project planning.
There is an urgent need for an independent audit of CAMPA fund utilization in Lower Dibang Valley; clear demarcation of land ownership and tribal customary boundaries before any afforestation projects are approved; legal proceedings against individuals or officials involved in unauthorized land acquisition; greater public transparency and community consultation in CAMPA project implementation; and accountability from local political leaders, many of whom have remained silent – either due to vested interests or fear of exposing administrative wrongdoing.
The misuse of CAMPA 2016 funds in Lower Dibang Valley, particularly at the cost of the Idu Mishmi tribe’s ancestral lands, is not just a bureaucratic mishap; it is a betrayal of both environmental principles and constitutional protections. If these actions are not urgently addressed, the very objective of CAMPA, ie, to serve as a compensatory and restorative environmental policy, will be undermined.
The local leaders, government and judiciary must step in to investigate these violations, restore justice to the community, and uphold the law.
Atte Lingi