Tribals from Thane to get information on their land through RTI

MUMBAI: Nearly 6,000 tribals from various talukas in Thane district can finally hope to get information on their land. On Tuesday, the state chief information commissioner ordered that all information be provided to RTI applications filed by 10 tribals who sought to know why their land has been shrunk in the title deed provided by the government. The decision stands as a hope for many more tribal people across the state, who are facing similar problems with land titles.

Tribals from Jawar and Vikramgadh talukas heaved a sigh of relief when the information commissioner not only asked for all information to be provided to them, but also gave a compensation of Rs 2,000 each for the efforts made. They had been trying to get information since April. The size of the land sanctioned to thousands of them by the gram panchayat had been shrunk to half or one-fourth on the land title deed given by the government later. As per the Forest Act, the tribals have a right to the land they have been tilling for many years.

"The area was shrunk significantly leaving only a small portion of land in each one's name. In April, more than 1,200 tribals filed RTI applications seeking reasons behind the land size being shrunk. There was no valid or proper response to that. Following that the tribals decided to go for appeal and this time only 10 of them filed a plea so that the burden on the system is lesser," said Milind Thatte from Vayam who has been helping tribals with the use of RTI as a toll to seek information. Thatte said that the second appeal hearing on Tuesday has finally helped the tribals get the information they want. "Only when they know why they are being given less land, will they be able to challenge the Forest Act or understand the discrepancy," he added. The information commissioner ruled that the information be given to all 1,272 RTI queries in the next two months. Thatte insisted that this is a glowing precedent for people to get information in the "right manner."

The Forest Act assured that the tribes had a right to the land they have been cultivating for generations. "The land holdings seem to be shrunk at random. Also, this is a problem not only with the talukas in Thane but also in various other parts of the state. The information sought by the 1,200 plus tribals will not only be uploaded on the website but also put up outside the gram panchayat office so that they can easily access it," said Shailesh Gandhi, former information commissioner.

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