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Satellite imagery aids implement Forest Rights Act

A TRTI initiative to ensure unbiased delivery of benefits to tribal

20 February, 2009 04:38:55 PM, SHASHWAT GUPTA RAY

The way people are actually living in Malegaon surprised the French student

Sarah, a French national and student of politics at Institute of Political Studies Lille, France (Institut d’ etudes politiques de Lille, France) had recently visited Malegaon for her research work on the Communal Riots in Malegaon. Malegaon has seen several communal riots in the past. But the October 2001 riot was the worst that the town had seen in its history. The intensity of the October conflict can be gauged from the remarks expressed by few political observers and analysts who after the Gujarat carnage in 2002 had said that whatever had happened in Malegaon in October 2001 was the rehearsal....Full Story

More About Malegaon

Forgotten Heroes: “I have always wondered how, the Muslims and the Hindus together, had decided to set a Mandir on fire”, said Dr. Iftekhar Ansari...Read Full

An Information Outlet: Urdu Library in Malegaon turned 100 this year and the library, which has helped many Ph. Ds in their research work, is all set to...Read Full

The Power of Reading: One enters the P. B. Kakani Vachnalay and it will be realized immediately that it is not just a library but is “an enlightening nucleus”, guiding generations of Malegaon sinc...Read Full

Malegaon, a town in India with more than 70% Muslim population has always been considered as a communally sensitive place. However, there is a place in Malegaon where a Mosque and a Mandir exist side by side with Muslims and Hindus, both living there in peace since last many years. Same is the case with the whole town. Except for the selected few who always try to create trouble, the whole town comprises the peace loving people . Still, the tag of being a communally sensitive place is attributed with the town...Full Story

Communal Harmony Campaign in Malegaon

Let’s work to bring a change: “Deadly RDX was invented by Alfred Nobel but we find Peace Prizes being given every year in his name. At one time training camps and hijacking classes were order of the day in United States. However it witnessed...Read Full

Confidence overrule the fear: The returned figure of the references resulting after a keyword search about Malegaon at any search engine on the Internet is impressive enough to envy any place. However a glance at the list relating the town with the riots and the bomb blast is so embarrassing that people are becoming shy of associating themselves with...Read Full

Sare Jahan Se Accha

Hindustan Hamara

In 1905 more than 100 years from today, when Iqbal was a lecturer at the Government College, Lahore he was invited by his student Lala Hardayal to preside over a function. Instead of making a speech, Iqbal sang Sare Jahan Se Accha Hindustan Hamara in his style. Iqbal compiled this poem in praise of India and the poem preaches the communal harmony that had unfortunately started ceasing in India by that time. Each and every word in this poem depicts an Indian’s respect and love for the motherland and the values the Indian society inherited for long...Read Full

Tribals in India

Pune: Tribal Research and Training Institute (TRTI) is using satellite imagery to determine the actual forest area allotted to the tribals and area under occupation by them prior 2005 for providing benefits under the Forest Rights Act.

“Under Forest Rights Act, we are supposed to give 13 different types of rights. There are two types of beneficiaries - Forest Dweller Scheduled Tribe and other traditional forest dwellers. Challenge is to make meet the two categories – the eligible beneficiaries and forest rights to be recorded and recognized,” Commissioner TRTI, Arvind Kumar Jha told Sakaal Times.

These rights are on forestland. Therefore it is essential to very clearly know and measure the forest area from which the rights are to be met.

“Hence, for forest area determination, we are using technologies like Geographical Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS), coupled with use of satellite images. This process will have two benefits – genuine claimants, who do not have sufficient evidence of land holding, this will act as evidence and those who have occupied forestland beyond 2005, will be detected. Thus, the area under community will become free of such illegal individuals,” Jha said.

Speaking on the functioning of the technology, the Commissioner said that the GPS instrument would capture a polygon depicting the area on the ground. This will be uploaded on the computer, which will give area and location in terms of latitude and longitude. This area will be matched with the satellite picture of the forestland under occupation by claimant, using GIS technology.

The implementation process has already begun. The relevant software and satellite imagery are available. Training is being imparted to forest and land department personnel. They will become experts in handling GPS. Computers for the purpose have been already given to concerned Sub-divisional Officers (SDOs) and concerned district collectorates.

“The total system will be web-server based for ensuring regular monitoring from different levels. Since satellite maps are going to show actual and unbiased position of land, chances of any human error and conflicts on the authenticity of data is eliminated to a large extent in this system,” he said.

The advancement in technology will play a major role in this process. Earlier the satellite images had 23 metre resolution. Now the images are of high resolution and the Cartosat images are accurate to the extent of one metre resolution.

“The printouts of such maps can also be taken and will be used while finally deciding the case at the district level committee,” said Jha, who is also the chairman, Scheduled Tribe Certificate Scrutiny Committee, Maharashtra State. (Courtesy Sakaal Times)