New Delhi, DHNS: Six months after the notification to the Forest Rights Act, Karnataka is yet to implement the Act, which will accord legal rights to forest dwellers on the piece of land, on which they have lived for generations. On Friday, Karnataka Social Welfare Minister D Sudhakar admitted in a review meeting that the Governor's rule and subsequent Assembly elections in the State had stalled implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (recognition of forest rights) Act, which was notified on January 1, 2008. "The implementation was delayed due to the elections, however, we will now expedite as the Act will benefit 36 lakh tribal people in the State, who constitute six per cent of the State's population,' Sudhakar told Deccan Herald. As many as six districts in north Karnataka are dominated by the tribals. However, Union Tribal Affairs Minister P R Kyndiah expressed concern over slow implementation of the Act. Also, a national tribal policy is also in the process of being finalised. While Karnataka is lagging behind, two of its neighbours Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have earned praise from the Minister for quick implementation of the Act. Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa and Tamil Nadu have even started verification of claims for conferring the final rights of the land on the tribals, Mr Kyndiah said. The Act enables traditional forest dwellers to stay in forest legally, provided they have been staying there for 75 years, i.e. three generations prior to December 13, 2005, and are dependent on forest produce for their livelihood. The Act triggered widespread controversy on two counts. Wildlife conservationists were up in arms against this Act, claiming that it would ring the death knell for tigers and other wild species. After the legislation was passed by the Parliament in 2005 with the Left support, the government sat on it for two years triggering one more round of controversy.