The Jharkhand government on Wednesday said it has decided not to re-notify Netarhat Field Firing Range, in keeping with the long-standing demand by the tribals of the region.
Tribals in the region had long been holding protests, seeking relocation of the range since the 1990s, almost a decade before a separate state of Jharkhand was formed.
They claimed that the land was notified as firing range in violation of indigenous rights.
Under the project, which was started in 1964, an area of about 1,471 sq km in Netarhat Hills, spanning parts of Gumla and Latehar, has been earmarked for field firing practice by the Army.
"Chief Minister Hemant Soren has given approval to a proposal to no longer re-notify Netarhat field Firing Range in view of public interest...This will end the protest by tribals for the last 30 years," an official statement here said.
A memorandum was recently submitted by representatives of 39 villages to Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais, stating that Gumla and Latehar districts fall under Fifth Schedule Area and are governed under PESA Act 1996, which entails that gram sabhas (village committees in tribal areas) have the right to take decisions regarding community resources in these areas.
According to the statement, locals had been holding agitations for the past 30 years, demanding the cancellation of the notification granted to the Netarhat Field Firing Range, with the latest one held in March this year.
(Inputs from PTI)
