“Being Neutral is Our Biggest Crime” - Global Coalition to Protect ...

uses all authority at its disposal including powers of suo motu investigation
and subpoena.
Protect displaced persons
• Develop and implement a national policy and scheme for internally displaced
persons in consultation with displaced persons, and governmental,
nongovernmental, and intergovernmental organizations, and in accordance
with the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (UN Guiding
Principles). The policy should provide guarantees against arbitrary and
unlawful displacement. It should also implement the rights of displaced
persons to government assistance without discrimination, facilitate safe
return where people are willing to return, ensure sustainable resettlement,
and provide adequate compensation for loss of property during displacement.
In the interim,
• Ensure that Andhra Pradesh government officials immediately stop the
destruction of IDP hamlets, illegal forced evictions, forced relocation of
displaced persons, and confiscation of their property.
• Permit the Andhra Pradesh government to allow displaced persons to use
reserved forest areas for non-forest purposes (including as habitation).
• Instruct the Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh state governments to provide
displaced persons all government services, including employment guarantees
or other means of sustaining a living, access to food-for-work benefits, and
subsidized food rations, and issue all documents required by them to benefit
from these welfare programs.
• Closely monitor the progress of rehabilitation schemes being developed by
the Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh state governments in order to ensure
the safe return and rehabilitation of villagers who are willing to return.
• Provide additional special infrastructure support to the Chhattisgarh state
government to clear landmines from Dantewada and Bijapur districts in
particular.
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