Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve - Equitable Tourism Options

proposal would be made which shall be sent to the centre for further
notification by the President. Meanwhile suitable legislation would
be made to protect the land being allotted under this agreement."
Such initiatives need to be undertaken in other parts of the country,
as well as in other Commonwealth Countries, where the
marginalised indigenous and tribal people have struggled endlessly
to date. It is worth noting here a comment from a Social
Development Specialist of the World Bank, New Delhi, who in a
recent regional workshop of TERI said "if you want to get a prior
consent from the indigenous people to start a project, you better
forget it." While the gentleman from the World Bank later refuted this
by saying that this comment had been taken out of context, it
demonstrates that the policy of exclusion is imposed upon
indigenous and tribal people at different levels.
Dr. Ram Dayal Munda, former Vice-chancellor of the Ranchi
University, Jharkhand, and the Chief Advisor of Indian
Confederation of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, advocates that
there be a four party agreement including peoples affected by such
international/national projects. In case of a dispute in any
international project he argues that indigenous people should be
allowed to appeal to the World Court for the safeg uard of their rig hts.
Tribal and Indigenous Perspective
Jaipal Singh, one of the most well-known tribal leaders, is quoted to
have said in the Constituent Assembly "You cannot teach
democracy to the tribal people; you have to learn democratic ways
from them. They are the most democratic people on earth."
Indeed in every indigenous and tribal community there are
customary laws. These laws are not written. However, laws are
dynamic traditions where decisions are taken collectively and
consensually. These laws are still operative in the Scheduled Areas.
For example, in the Singhbhum region of the new state of
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