Orans : Supreme Court’s direction
Rajasthan has initiated the process for classifying the community-protected ‘Oran’ lands as forests in compliance with the Supreme Court’s direction.
- Orans are traditional sacred groves found in Rajasthan.
- They are patches of forests dedicated by villagers to different deities as a socio-religious tradition and managed by the rural communities.
- Orans serve as centers of socio-religious activity for local communities. Festivals and fairs are held annually, often on specific dates, to honor these sacred places.
- Rajasthan is home to about 25,000 ‘Oran’ lands covering an area of 6 lakh hectares.
- ‘Oran’ land is used by local communities for grazing, forest products, natural water filtration, and for livelihood opportunities to promote the livestock economy.
- Water bodies within the orans, such as Talab (pond), Nadi (small pond), open wells, and streams, are crucial water resources for livestock and wildlife.
- In the Thar Desert, some orans have ancient goverdhan/shilalekh (petrograph) near water bodies.
- The area covered by an oran can range from a few hectares to several hundred hectares. For example, the Bhadariya Mata Oran in Jaisalmer district spans 17,821 hectares.
- Orans also form the natural habitat for India’s most critically endangered bird, the Great Indian Bustard (GIB), a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act, which is also the State bird of Rajasthan.
- The State’s forest policy of 2023 gave the status of general community land to ‘Orans’, which was considered insufficient for their conservation as well as protection against encroachment and degradation.
- The Supreme Court recognised ‘Oran’ lands as forests under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, in a landmark judgment delivered on December 18, 2024.
