Dear Reader,

The spectre of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants flooding Indian cities—whether real or perceived—has been firmly embedded in the Indian public imagination. This entrenched perception, unfortunately, has consequences, especially for Muslim migrants from the state of West Bengal seeking employment in urban centres of India. Often mistaken for illegal migrants, they face relentless scrutiny and arbitrary state violence, with their very citizenship perpetually under suspicion. The Migration Story reports from Bengaluru, where migrants from the state work as waste pickers, construction labourers, domestic workers, or gig-based employees—occupations that form the backbone of the city’s daily life.

Yet, their presence in Bengaluru is overshadowed by a persistent sense of fear. Aware that their citizenship status could be questioned at any moment, many in the community carry extensive documentation at all times. However, even that is not enough to quell the ever-present distrust and suspicion. The story brings you the plight of a community treated as strangers in their land of birth.

The Forest Rights Act, 2006, recognises the occupation of forest land by Adivasis and other traditional forest dwellers and vests forest rights such as ownership and access to minor forest produce. However, these rights are constantly under threat of being usurped as मैं भी भारत discovers in Konatoli village of Gumla district in Jharkhand.

Collection of ‘lac’ in Gumla is a significant economic activity, contributing substantially to the livelihoods of Adivasis and forest communities and is protected by the Forest Act. Despite this protection, the rights of the Adivasis to collect 'lac' from seven designated ‘Kusum’ trees per family are being eroded by entrenched and powerful local communities. The grantee reports that petitions to the local authorities have been to no avail.

The erosion of mandated and codified forest rights is seemingly being taken a step further in Madhya Pradesh. The control of forests has historically been a tussle between the state and indigenous communities. In Madhya Pradesh, the revival of a policy that enables the restoration of forests through the use of CSR, CER, and non-governmental funds, is seen as enabling a third player, the private sector, to enter the fold, ostensibly to revive the so-called "degraded" forests.

Under this policy, investors will be allotted anywhere from 10 to 1,000 hectares of degraded forest for 60 years, during which period they can earn carbon credits for green cover planted on that land. However, as Ground Report finds, the policy is strongly opposed by Adivasi groups, which see it as the first step toward diluting their hard-won rights to the forests and their produce.

Last year, on 30 July 2024, a devastating landslide in the Chooralmala–Mundakkai region of Kerala’s Wayanad claimed hundreds of lives. This was attributed to geological vulnerability, deforestation, and unregulated construction in an ecologically sensitive zone.

Therefore, the state’s recent approval of the 8.17-kilometre-long Anakkampoyil-Kalladi-Meppadi Tunnel Road through the Western Ghats has raised concerns. While this project would reduce the distance between Kozhikode and Wayanad from 42 km to less than 20 km, questions about its ecological impact remain unanswered. These concerns are particularly significant since parts of Chooralmala, which was severely affected by last year’s landslide, fall within the tunnel project area.

Keraleeyam Masika, who analysed the approval report submitted by the State Environmental Appraisal Committee (SEAC), points out that the report does not allay fears about the region’s loose soil and weak geological structure, making it highly susceptible to disasters.

For more such stories from the grantees this week, please read on.

Warmly,

Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF