While Essar and Hindalco announced that they had secured the necessary forest clearance rights from the government in February this year, they are legally required to gain the consent of the forest community through the Gram Sabha...Villagers are preparing to resist the intrusion into the forest. Last week, resistance group Mahan Sangharsh Samiti filed their community forests rights, a legal right granted under the Forest Rights Act (FRA). If recognised, this will strengthen their claims of ownership over the Mahan’s resources.