DC orders probe after 800 families reported having identity proofs

JAMSHEDPUR: West Singhbhum deputy commissioner (DC) on Friday formed a three-member committee to probe allegation of 4,000 tribals of 800 families in Saranda Reserve Forest in the district having no Aadhaar, Voter and Ration cards, rendering them ineligible to avail food grains and other government benefits during the lockdown, officials said.

The development came after Jharkhand health minister Banna Gupta directed West Singhbhum DC Arava Rajkamal to take cognizance of the matter and initiate prompt action to provide these families help and assistance on Friday.

“Take legal steps to solve the problem so that these families don’t face any problem in the future,” Gupta said in his tweet, tagging chief minister Hemant Soren and AICC leader RPN Singh.

“I have formed a committee comprising Saranda divisional forest officer (DFO), subdivisional officer (SDO) and subdivisional police officer (SDPO) to look into the matter and undertake a survey to identify the alleged 800 families,” the DC said.

“We are thankful to the minister for bringing the matter to our notice.”

The DC, however, said the figure seemed exaggerated as such a high number of persons could not have missed the attention of Singhbhum MP or local MLAs when they campaigned for Lok Sabha and assembly elections last year.

“West Singhbhum has given the highest number of 8,000 forest right leases among the 24 districts in the state,” the DC said.

“There are authorized and unauthorized forest villages in Saranda and Porahat forests. It gets complicated when new unauthorized settlements are developed after the cut-off date under Forest Right Act, 2006 (FRA). We cannot provide forest right lease to such people under the Forest Conservation Act,” the DC added.

He, however, said Voter and Ration cards could be provided to people of unauthorized settlements and voter cards were being issued through a toll-free number, 1950, to new applicants round the year.

DEVELOPMENT CAME AFTER JHARKHAND HEALTH MINISTER DIRECTED WEST SINGHBHUM DC TO INITIATE PROMPT ACTION