The process of forming FRCs began after the Act was notified in January 2008 by the Centre following criticism from wildlife activists and the Forest Department.

“There are around 5,500 villages in the eastern tribal belt where FRCs will be formed. Of these, FRCs have been already formed in more than 3,000 villages as on March 15,” said A M Tiwari, state TDD secretary. The remaining target will be accomplished in a few days span, he said. The main functions of the FRCs will be to take calls from the tribals and the forest dwellers, and then recommend their claims to the higher bodies. The calls will be made from the village level gram sabhas so that the claimants are able to present documents to FRCs in a bid to stake their claim. “In a few days, the gram sabhas will be making calls for the claimants who would present their demands to the FRCs,” said Tiwari.

Meanwhile, Vadodara district officials and tribal department authorities also informed of starting training programmes to instruct FRC members about the Act and its implementation. “We are already on the verge of beginning the training session for FRCs,” said Tiwari.

Giving a background on the Act, Tiwari said, “The process of forming FRCs began in January. The gram sabhas in villages would be electing the FRCs.” The FRC will have around 12 members with one-third women and the remaining seniors from the village, said Tiwari. “It is necessary that the name of FRC members are present in the electoral list otherwise he/she cannot be a member of it,” he said.

He said, after hearing the demands by the claimants, FRCs will seek assistance from the Sub-Division Level Committee (SDLC) and give their recommendation to the District Level Committee (DLC). “Then, the DLC will give the go ahead to the claimant after verifying documents presented by a claimant,” said an official.

While the function of SDLC will be to give assistance to the FRCs, it will be the members of the DLC who will give a go ahead after the documents of the claimants are verified.

Members of the SDLC will be sub-divisional level officers, deputy collectors, forest officials at district level, taluka department officials, and three-taluka panchayat officials elected by the district panchayat officials. The DLC committee will be chaired by the district collector, and senior officials of the forest department, the tribal department and the district panchayats.

Tiwari further said the state forest department will be the entrusted authorities, and if it has any queries on the land claimed by traditional forest dwellers or scheduled tribes, it is bound to approach the FRCs appointed by the gram sabhas at the village level who would further bring any issue to the SDLC notice.