Last month, the forest department of the Indian-administered territory published a list of about 63,000 people it says are living and farming illegally on a total of 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) of forest land. How did the forest department declare it illegal all of a sudden, I wonder?," asked Khatana, who supports a family of five. Tribal rights activists and researchers say Kashmir's forest dwellers have increasingly been targeted for eviction in recent years. In early December, forest dwellers in Kanidajjan village said the government felled thousands of their trees after accusing them of encroaching on forest land. He noted that India's forest conservation law allows the government to utilise forest land for a developmental project of public interest "only when there is no alternative but to use forest land which is holy and precious (protected)."

Source: bd News24 January 15, 2021 00:56 UTC