You are a District Magistrate posted in a backward district of the country. You are responsible for getting an Atal Residential School built on the village land in your district. The contract for the construction of the school has been assigned to a popular local leader's son. This land is presently occupied by tribal communities but they cannot produce any ownership records. They claim that they have resided on the land for generations. They also allege that the administration is pressurising them to vacate their land to build the school and have assured that they will be relocated elsewhere. However, they are hesitant to do so as it will uproot them from their homes and will affect their livelihood. One of the prominent tribal leaders has highlighted this issue and it has caught the attention of the mainstream media. In the light of the situation, answer the following: (a) Identify the stakeholders involved in the case and their respective interests. (b) Discuss the various ethical concerns in the given case. (c) What are the options available to you and which of these options you will choose? Justify.

Various Stakeholders

(1) Traditional forest dwellers their right under Forest Rights Act of 2006 is at stake. Their land and livelihood are also at stake.

(2) District Administration and DM → public project viz Atal school is at stake.

(3) Local leader's son → his contract is at stake.

(4) Tribal leaders and communities → their right to Development and habitations is at stake.

(5) local children → their Right to Education under Article 21A is at stake.

Ethical concern

(1) Development clashes with forest Rights. (2) Right to education clashes with Right to life. (3) Fairness and Rule of law requires wide changes in building school leading to delay. (4) Negative media attention may besmirch name of administration.

Options available

(1) Developing school at disputed land.

(2) Developing school at disputed site with effective relocation and compensation to farmers

Suggested course of Action

(1) Empowering Gram Sabha of tribals to initiate declaration of forest Rights under Forest Rights Act, 2006.

(2) According Rights to tribals and requesting Gram Sabha to allocate land for school under provisions of law.

(3) Immediate acquisition of land and assigning contract to popular leader son for early completion.

Justification

(1) One may take the arduous way but the path should be correct.

(2) Rule of law requires respect and deference to legal duty by public servants.