Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], July 13 (HBTV): The Chhattisgarh Forest Department has temporarily halted the implementation of Community Forest Resource (CFR) management due to the absence of clear guidelines from the central government.
In a letter dated July 3, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) B. Srinivas Rao directed all regional and divisional forest officers to pause further action related to CFR governance.
‘Until the Government of Chhattisgarh receives guidance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the currently issued directions are being suspended,’ the letter stated.
The department has written to both the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), requesting model CFR management plans aligned with the National Working Plan Code, 2023, as well as implementation guidelines and a training manual for Gram Sabha representatives and officials.
So far, Chhattisgarh has issued 4,349 CFR titles covering 23 lakh hectares, in addition to over 4.7 lakh individual forest rights—making it one of the leading states in India for CFR recognition.
A senior official from the Forest Department clarified: ‘We have not stopped issuing titles under CFR. We've only asked the field officials not to take further action regarding the management side of things because we are still awaiting letters and model guidelines from MoTA and MoEFCC.’
The decision comes amid communications from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs encouraging states to adopt the model CFR management framework. However, in the absence of harmonised guidelines from MoEFCC—especially those in line with the National Working Plan Code, 2023—state authorities say field-level implementation remains inconsistent and legally vulnerable.
CFR rights, under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, empower forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers to access, manage, and conserve traditional forest areas. Specifically, Sections 3(1)(c) and 3(1)(d) of the Act allow communities to own and manage minor forest produce, access grazing lands, and protect seasonal resources.
These legal provisions are designed to correct historical injustices and empower communities with rightful control over forest resources they have traditionally depended on.
Previously, on May 15, the department had issued an advisory instructing that only approved CFR management plans be implemented until national guidelines were issued. However, following growing confusion and criticism from civil society organisations, Forest Minister Kedar Kashyap ordered the withdrawal of the advisory. This has now been formalised through Office Letter No. 536 dated July 3.
In a press statement, the Forest Department clarified that its earlier instructions were merely advisory and aimed at preventing procedural missteps.
‘The Forest Department had only issued an advisory to its field officers in light of the absence of model Community Forest Resource (CFR) management plans and corresponding guidelines,’ the statement said.
It further noted that implementation at the field level was becoming inconsistent due to a lack of clarity on how CFR plans should be developed and integrated with the National Working Plan Code, 2023.
Cautioning against uncoordinated actions, the department warned: ‘In the absence of this advisory, there was a strong possibility that ad hoc management plans would be implemented without taking cognisance of the working plan prescriptions.’ Such steps, it stated, could compromise the ecological integrity of forests and cause conflicts at the departmental or community level.
The advisory had drawn opposition from some Gram Sabhas and NGOs, who feared it might restrict community rights. In response, the department clarified that the protest was based on a misunderstanding, and reiterated that the advisory was never intended to curtail rights but to ensure that future CFR management is ‘scientifically robust, law-compliant, and nationally harmonised.’
(ANI)