Even as Mendha (Lekha), the first village in the country to script community forest rights (CFR) success story under the FRA 2006, enters the third year today, the state government has failed to replicate its bamboo initiative in over 800 villages.

MENDHA (LEKHA): Even as Mendha (Lekha), the first village in the country to script community forest rights (CFR) success story under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006, enters the third year today, the state government has failed to replicate its bamboo initiative in over 800 villages where CFRs have been granted in Naxal heartland of Gadchiroli.
Mendha (Lekha) gram sabha was the first to be handed over transit passes (TPs) for sale of bamboo on April 27, 2011 by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and then Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh. Since then, 840 villages in Gadchiroli have been granted CFRs over non-timber forest produce but hardly 10% of them are reaping benefits.
Gram sabhas in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are learning FRA lessons from Mendha (Lekha). On Wednesday, a group of 52 villagers led by NGO Professional Assistance for Development Action (Pradhan) was in Mendha (Lekha) from Naxal stronghold Bastar. A group of 60 had also arrived from Mandla.
"People are wary of fake development promises and violence. Now they want a model like Menda (Lekha) to ensure long-term livelihood options," said SK Singh, executive (projects), Pradhan.

Even if this is true, Gadchiroli itself has failed to reap benefits of CFRs. Barring a few villages, Mendha (Lekha) success is not being accelerated nor replicated in the district. There have been examples like Kuthegaon where people have ran away with the auction money after selling produce under CFRs.
TOI found that only clusters which could get proper guidance under leadership like Devaji Tofa and Mohan Hirabai Hiralal of Vrikshamitra in Mendha (Lekha), Keshav Gurnule of Srushti in Bortola, Satish Gogulwar of 'Amhi Amchya Arogyasathi' in Erandi and Dilip Gode of Vidarbha nature conservation society (VNCS) in Naroti Chak in Wadsa, are well placed. This was even true with Ralegan Siddhi and Hiwre Bazaar where stalwarts like Anna Hazare and Popatrao Pawar proved exceptions.
Now questions are being raised whether the government should make a policy change by going step by step considering Mendha (Lekha) or give CFRs in bulk without building capacities of gram sabhas? While the forest department says villagers don't want them, NGOs working in the field blame government and forest department for the entire mess.
"Granting CFRs without making gram sabhas aware about laws won't help. We need to develop a system with the involvement of the forest department whose staff would not be on any committees but will guide us," says forest rights activist Mohan Hirabai Hiralal. He adds as per section 4 (e) of new guidelines, right to give transit pass rests with gram sabhas but it is not being done.
With over 4 lakh acre forest land granted under CFR, 50% has bamboo on it. CFRs have potential to change lives of people but due to lack of cooperation, leadership and awareness there are no success stories to show beyond a few villages, adds Hiralal.
"Mendha (Lekha) is a utopia. We are successful as the gram sabha acts unanimously. People's fight for rights first started with joint forest management committee (JFMC) in 1991. When FRA was ratified they were ready with a roadmap. This is not true with others," said Hiralal.
In the last two years, Mendha (Lekha) posted a turnover of Rs1.15 crore after selling 3.85 lakh bamboos in 1,116 hectare area. It is still left with Rs61.70 lakh after paying taxes and wages. "We plan to spend 50% of it on forest management and 50% to develop the village and revive 'Ghotul' (centre protecting tribal culture)," said Tofa.
Even Gurnule admits that 30 villages in Wadsa are poised for take off but again except Erandi and Bortola are ready to harvest bamboo. Others are facing host of problems like money for opening a bank account and whether to listen to gram sabha or gram panchayat.
""I see spark in youth on CFRs but they are listless about paper work. You ask them to go 10km in the jungles but they can't deal with the administration. Lack of communication between officials and villagers is also responsible for poor performance,"" Gurnule said. He called for a separate cell for FRA work.
Dilip Gode says Mendha (Lekha) cannot be a model as it has not been replicated in other places in Gadchiroli. It is true that CFRs failed where there were vested interests and political interference.
"I feel the government has failed in its duty to tell people about the provisions. The administration should take action against misappropriation by gram sabhas which has not been done. It is creating conflict by keeping JFMCs and CFRs at many places," he said. This is despite section 16 of the FRA amended on September 6, 2012, clearly stating that government departments need to do hand-holding which is not happening, leading to failures.
District collector Abhishek Krishna says the FRA is such a complex issue the less said the better. Yet steps are being taken to improve the situation.
On the contrary, chief conservator of forests (CCF) for Gadchiroli circle TSK Reddy said, "Once CFRs are granted we have no right to intervene. Our control is to get information how much produce they have harvested. Problems have arisen where there are vested interest."
Reddy said it is wrong to say that the department is not helping. "We have held workshops on FRA in the past and want to hold more. We plan to hold e-tendering for 26 tendu units where there are no bidders. Auction money will go into bank accounts where there are CFR villages," he added.

​- Leadership of Devaji Tofa and guidance of forest rights activist Mohan Hirabai Hiralal even before FRA came in. ​- When FRA became a law in 2006, the village was fully prepared and there was wholehearted local participation. ​- Capacity building of 20 youths who prepared a manual to study FRA. ​- No battle of wills and gram sabha takes unanimous decisions. ​- Villagers did not fall prey to vested interest and market forces.

​- Lack of leadership and hand-handling by forest department. ​- No knowledge about FRA. ​- Interference of political leaders and contractors. ​- No capacity building of villagers. ​- No working capital as well as technical support from the forest department in selling, marketing the produce. ​- Exploitation by contractors and middlemen. ​- Clash of interest between JFMCs and CFRs.