Forest rights

The Cover Story (Hope and fear, February 29) has correctly depicted the situation in the tribal belt in the context of the notification of the Forest Rights Act.

There is hope because the Act gives legal backing to the tribal people and other forest-dwelling communities in their struggle to assert their right to use forests and there is fear because it can be misinterpreted and misused. Action must be taken to establish procedures and frame guidelines so that the Act serves its purpose.

A. Jacob Sahayam Thiruvananthapuram* * *

The Forest Rights Act will indeed spur tribal people to assert their rights over forests where they have been living for many generations.

In this, they would face opposition from the timber mafia, miners, poachers and corrupt forest officials. The government must facilitate the implementation of this people-oriented law to provide livelihood to crores of tribes and other forest-dwelling communities.

Akhil Kumar DelhiPolitics of hate

Raj Thackerays diatribe against outsiders has once again shown up the nature of our politics, which enables politicians to hog the limelight by converting a non-issue into an issue and garner votes (A Thackeray act, February 29). In a city like Mumbai, none can be considered an outsider. Parties such as the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party are also to be equally blamed for allowing the situation to deteriorate.

Three decades ago, Shiv Sainiks attacked South Indians on the plea that they had grabbed jobs meant for the sons of the soil. The argument did not cut much ice with the people as the Sena supporters soon realised that those from South India also played a great role in building and reshaping Mumbai. Similarly, one cannot ignore the contributions made by people from northern India to the growth of the metropolis.

K.R. Srinivasan Hyderabad* * *

Raj Thackeray has not only hurt the religious sentiments of the people of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh but also contributed to the widening of the regional divide in many parts of the country.

Televisions footages of MNS activists attacking people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have put the people of Mumbai to shame, apart from raising questions about the state of law and order in the city. Why do these activists who speak of Marathi pride cover their faces with handkerchiefs while attacking non-Maharashtrians on local trains? Are they afraid of getting exposed before the people?

S. Balakrishnan Jamshedpur, JharkhandS.C. scholarships

S. Viswanathans With strings attached (February 29) on the scholarship notification issued by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment highlighted the continuing neglect of and discrimination against Dalits. Strangely, barring the Left, no national party considered it a matter worth speaking about.

It is commendable that the Students Federation of India rallied its volunteers in Chennai to protest against the notification and the deplorable conditions of the hostels that the government runs for students belonging to the backward classes.

S.V. Venugopalan ChennaiTheatre

Restoring lost voices by Gowri Ramanarayan (February 29) was excellent. Neelam Mansingh is indeed a great director and the writer has brought out her genius and deep commitment to theatre in a touching manner.

G.K. Govinda Rao BangaloreEconomy

C.P. Chandrasekhar concludes in his column that the current growth as portrayed by economic indicators is fragile (New Growth Story, February 29).

He cites the exclusion of commodity-producing sectors as a major reason for this. These sectors form the backbone of any economy; moreover, they cater to the needs of a large number of people. Growth in these sectors would increase consumption levels and produce a multiplier effect benefiting the service sector also. Another cause for worry is that the growth that is taking place does not trickle down as it happens in the services sector only. Players within this sector benefit tremendously though.

Alex M. Thomas HyderabadDisplacement

Jayati Ghosh has highlighted the problems of those who depend on land for work but do not own it (Silent displacement, February 29).

Just as the workers of a factory are entitled to compensation when it is sold or closed, those who depend on land for livelihood directly or indirectly are entitled to compensation when farmlands are sold.

Though this concept would be opposed by the privatisation lobby, this anomaly has to be set right. Why cannot other States follow the West Bengal governments example of compensating sharecroppers?

Kasim Sait ChennaiANNOUNCEMENT

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