Budgam March 22:(KNS) District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) Budgam in collaboration with Jammu & Kashmir RTI Movement on Monday organized a workshop cum legal awareness camp on Forest Rights Act 2006 (FRA) at Goggee Pathri Nilnag in district Budgam. The aim of the programme was to create awareness about this law among scheduled tribe (ST) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFD) communities who under FRA are now supposed to get various entitlements. The lawyers and para legal volunteers of DLSA Budgam and activists of RTI Movement threw light on various aspects of FRA.

Chairman RTI Movement Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat said that FRA was not a land distribution law but a legislation to rectify the historical mistakes committed by Government in past as ST’s and OTFD were denied various rights. He said that nobody would get individual forest rights if he or she is not dependent on the land which is claimed to be under their possession. He also told the gathering that new Kothas can’t be constructed under the garb of FRA only those damaged will be allowed to be repaired.

Advocate Feroz Khan from District Court Budgam in addition to throwing light on the Forest Rights Act spoke  in detail about the Juvenile Justice Act . He urged locals to utilize  services available under the Legal Services Authority Act like free legal aid etc. Paralegal volunteers Nisar Ahmad Mir , Showkat Ahmad Wani and RTIM District Coordinator Budgam Mushtaq Ahmad also spoke on the occasion.

Members of the Forest Rights Committee , Sarpanches , panches and respected citizens of the Goggee Pathri Nilnag participated in the workshop. They urged upon Govt and RTIM to hold more such awareness camp.(KNS)