H.P. High Court provides relief to Kinnaur occupants

High Court Order of 9th July provides relief to occupants by quashing DFO orders; High Court Bench puts ball in DFO Kinnaur’s court to hear matter; High court mentions FRA and gives liberty to make submissions under FRA to State government. The orders of the Hon’ble High Court, dated 6th April 2015, followed by subsequent […]

पै्रस विज्ञप्ति: पंचेश्वर बहुद्देशीय नही बहुधोखीय परियोजना है

5 November 2017 पंचेश्वर बहुद्देशीय नही बहुधोखीय परियोजना है: पंचेश्वर बांध व रुपालीगाड बंाधों की प्रक्रिया तुरंत प्रभाव रोकी जाये। वन अधिकार दो – जैव विविधता रजिस्टर ग्राम स्तर पर बनाओं प्रभावित जनता को अंधेरे में रखकर पर्यावरण और वन स्वीकृतियंा लेने की प्रक्रियंा पूरी की जा रही है वह यह बताता है कि सरकारों […]

प्रेस नोट: 11 जुलाई 2017, पालमपूर तहसील में वन अधिकार के दावों का खाता खुला

वन अधिकार कानून, 2006 के अन्तर्गत बड़सर पंचायत के 6 गांवों ने लगभग 5 हजार हेक्टेयर वन भूमि पर सामुहिक दावे आज (11 जूलाई 2017) एसडीएम पालमपूर को सौंपे। इस प्रक्रिया में राज्य स्तरीय संगठन हिमाचल वन अधिकार मंच जोकि प्रदेश में इस कानून को लागू करने के लिये प्रयासरत है, ने स्थानीय समुदाय को दावे भरने की प्रक्रिया में मदद की। वन अधिकार कानून 2006 वनों […]

Why Forest Rights Act, 2006 is the way to go in Himachal

To address historical injustice faced by the forest-dependent communities in India, UPA government had passed the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of) Forest Rights Act in 2006. But the Congress, at least in Himachal, has failed to make use of this legislation to provide relief to tribal population. In fact, Himachal is […]

In Himachal Pradesh, a village is using the law to take back forest land from the Forest Department

The residents of Gunehar village in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district are attempting to use the Forest Rights Act to challenge the state Forest Department’s decision to hand over two hectares of local forest land to the Wildlife Department to construct an office complex. At the end of December, the Gunehar panchayat filed a complaint with […]

Press note 3rd January: Forest Rights Committees lead the way on FRA claim filing process in Himachal even as government unresponsive

Press note 3rd January: Forest Rights Committees lead the way on FRA claim filing process in Himachal even as government unresponsive 4 Forest Rights Committees (FRCs) of Gram Panchayat Kandral in Baijnath submitted their Individual and community claims under Forest Rights Act 2006 (FRA)  to the SDM today. The FRCs carried out a rigorous verification […]

Forest Rights Act community trainings at Lahaul and Sirmour

In October the Himachal Van Adhikar Manch (a platform for civil society groups working on Forest Rights Act in Himachal Pradesh) conducted training sessions under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights), Act 2006 (FRA) in Sirmour and Lahaul districts. These meetings were organised by People Action for People in […]

Returning power to the people in Himachal Pradesh

The Indian state of Himachal Pradesh has about a quarter of the country’s hydropower potential. It has an installed capacity of a little over 10,000 MW out of its full potential of over 27,000 MW. While the last decade saw a surge in hydropower development in the state, for the last three years the state […]

PRESS STATEMENT: Amendments in Hydro-policy fail to revive sector

4th October 2016Hydropower Development: Amendments in Hydropolicy – diluting NOCs and giving incentives to Hydro producers fail to revive sector People and Environment being made to pay for mistakes of government and companies For the last three years the Himachal Government has been making desparate attempts to revive the declining hydropower sector in the state. Falling […]

Kinnaur’s Curse? : Economic and Political Weekly

An article published in Economic and Political Weekly by Manshi Asher, member of Himdhara Environment Research and Action Collective Kinnaur, one of Himachal Pradesh’s most ecologically fragile places, is under threat from widespread construction activity in hydroelectric power projects. Landslides have become a common occurrence threatening apple orchards as well as habitats in Kinnaur. A […]