Ravish TiwariPosted online: Thursday, March 06, 2008 at 2353 hrs
NEW DELHI, March 5: Six years after a Supreme Court order, the Centre is finally ready to set up a Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) for promoting activities related to the UPA’s flagship afforestation scheme —Green India — which envisages re-greening up to 6 million hectared in 10 years.
The Cabinet, which is scheduled to meet on Friday, is likely to consider a proposal by the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) seeking creation of the CAMPA which will be in charge of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF).
The matter has been pending since 2002, when the Supreme Court ordered that project developers who divert forest land should pay money towards a special fund which would be utilised by a new centralised agency for forest conservation.
Accordingly, CAMPA will be entrusted with the responsibility of utilising over Rs 5,000 crore, collected from project developers who diverted forest land for other use, for undertaking afforestation programmes.
Following the government’s announcement of loan waivers for farmers, the Cabinet is also likely to consider a proposal to provide funds to public sector banks, co-operative credit structures, regional rural banks, and NABARD to operationalise credit to farmers at 7 per cent interest during the year.
The Cabinet is also likely to consider a proposal to establish a regional rural bank in Puducherry.
Another proposal likely to be discussed is central assistance for long-term reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed by natural calamities during 2005 to Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.
The Cabinet may also take up a proposal from the Department of Space for an agreement between ISRO and Russia’s Federal Space Agency on cooperation in the field of joint moon exploration.
Friday, March 7, 2008
81 lions dead in last 2 yrs....!!!
28 Feb 2008, 1712 hrs IST,PTI
NEW DELHI: A total of 81 lions have died across the country from January 2006 to 2008, with nine of them becoming victims of poaching, Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.
Fifty two lions died a natural death, 1 because of an accident and 6 due to electrocution while 13 fell in a well and 9 lions died because of poaching in Gir protected area and surrounding habitats of Gujarat.
Out of th 6 lions electrocuted, five of them died in Permpara village, outside the Gir Protected Areas in October 2007.
Investigation shows that a farmer had laid electrified wire fencing his agriculture land to prevent crop damage from wild herbivores, Minister of State for Environment and Forests S Regupathy said.
Answering a separate question on declining population of endangered animals including lions, tigers and elephants, Regupathy said fluctuation in the wildlife population is a natural phenomenon.
As per the information available there are no reports to indicate a continuous sharp decline in the population of endangered species, he said.
The minister said, "census of gharials are conducted on a regular basis and is not done for the first time."
NEW DELHI: A total of 81 lions have died across the country from January 2006 to 2008, with nine of them becoming victims of poaching, Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.
Fifty two lions died a natural death, 1 because of an accident and 6 due to electrocution while 13 fell in a well and 9 lions died because of poaching in Gir protected area and surrounding habitats of Gujarat.
Out of th 6 lions electrocuted, five of them died in Permpara village, outside the Gir Protected Areas in October 2007.
Investigation shows that a farmer had laid electrified wire fencing his agriculture land to prevent crop damage from wild herbivores, Minister of State for Environment and Forests S Regupathy said.
Answering a separate question on declining population of endangered animals including lions, tigers and elephants, Regupathy said fluctuation in the wildlife population is a natural phenomenon.
As per the information available there are no reports to indicate a continuous sharp decline in the population of endangered species, he said.
The minister said, "census of gharials are conducted on a regular basis and is not done for the first time."
Pug marks hide the truth.
KIRTIMAN AWASTHI
A conference organized by the Union environment ministry on February 12 in the national capital came out with the Tiger Census 2008 and the State of India’s Forests Report 2005. Both came out with dismal figures: a little more than 1,400 tigers are left in the county; and over 725 sq km of forests have vanished between 2002 and 2004. Add to that forestland diverted between 2004 and 2007—over 2,750 sq km according to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests’ data.
The common questions conservationists and wildlife experts are asking are: where did the forests vanish; where did the tigers go?
The tiger census 2008, among other things, highlighted the following:
1,410 tigers are left in the wild
No tigers outside protected areas
Habitat degradation, poaching and a reduced prey base are the problem areas
The census, carried out jointly by the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, is being considered the “first scientific assessment” because it used the camera trap method.
Wildlife experts say it cannot be compared to the 2001 tiger census. The census was carried out using the pug mark method. It had estimated the number of tigers at 3642; around 1,500 tigers within protected areas and the rest outside such areas. The prime minister-appointed Tiger Task Force in its report in 2005, had called the census unscientific and said that it had overestimated the tiger population (see table: Number game).
“We had said long ago that tigers are restricted to protected areas,” says K Ullas Karanth, director, Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bangalore.
• Key players in the clearance process
Rajesh Gopal, member secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority, agrees. “The tiger remains threatened within tiger reserves and protected areas,” he says.
The current survey classified tiger habitats into six regions. Each region had a group of tiger reserves under it. The Central Indian Landcape which includes Kanha, Pench and other reserves, has the potential for sustaining long-term population of tigers, the report said.
“Providing connectivity among individual tiger habitats through wildlife corridors and creating inviolate areas and buffer zones surrounding tiger reserves will add to conservation of tigers and other wildlife,” says Gopal.
The report revealed that tigers and their prey are often poached in reserves where Naxals have a strong presence: such as the Indravati reserve in Chhattisgarh and Palamau in Jharkhand. The report said it was important to involve local communities in tiger conservation, especially in buffer and corridor areas. According to Karanth, certain areas have higher population of tigers because prey is available in plenty there. Corbett, for instance, which has 174 tigers. Hence the priority should be to protect the prey and the tiger population by creating inviolate areas; the rest of the measures can follow.
Number game
Scientific census puts tigers at 1,410
Note: NA-Not Assessed
Source: www.indiastat.com; Tiger Census 2008
The vanishing act
The State of India’s Forest 2005, revealed by the Forest Survey of India, highlighted:
728 sq km of net loss of forests during 2002-04 (0.11 per cent of India’s total forest cover)
Madhya Pradesh lost 132 sq km of forests (The state has 11 per cent of country’s total forest cover); Gujarat lost 99 sq km
Nagaland lost 296 sq km of forests; Manipur, 173 sq km (North-eastern states account for over 25 per cent of forest cover)
Compared to the 2003 assessment there is a loss of 635 sq km of forest cover in 188 tribal districts (The 2003 assessment is the forest survey carried out for the period 2000-2001; the 188 tribal districts constitute about 60 per cent of the total forest cover)
124 hill districts suffered a loss of forest cover of over 250 sq km compared to the 2003 assessment
Between 1997 and 2002, the total forest cover inside tiger reserves and outer surrounds decreased by 94 sq km and 124 sq km (outer surrounds include a strip of about 10 km outside tiger reserves)
To where?
Forests have always been an important source of livelihood for tribal communities. “Forests in tribal areas have suffered most due to mining activities and construction of dams,” says Kanchi Kohli, member of Kalpvriksh Environmental Action Group. Since the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, came into existence, about 1,116 sq km of forestland have been diverted for mining between 1981 and 2007 (see table: Who benefits?)
Who benefits?
Forestland diverted to various sectors
Source: Union Ministry of Environment and Forests
The other fallout is that it will affect tigers as well because a lot of tiger habitats are inSchedule v areas. “The maximum loss of dense forest cover has also occured in districts where tigers and tribals share space. The tiger habitat is under threat. People will lose their livelihoods,” notes the Tiger Task Force report.
The forest survey report says Andaman and Nicobar islands lost more than 175 sq km of their forest to the 2004 tsunami. In other states, especially Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the loss was primarily because of submergence from dam construction . About 1,191 sq km of moderately dense forest was converted to non-forest. Similarly, about 61 sq km of very dense forest and more than 3,300 sq km of open forest was converted to non-forest. The Union environment ministry has allowed diversion of 11,400 sq km since 1980 (see box: Key players in the clearance process). Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh have seen the highest diversion.
Critics say the loss of forest cover would be much higher if plantation and other afforestation programmes were not taken into account. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Manipur and Andaman and Nicobar Islands witnessed huge forest loss during the assessment period under very dense forest category (with canopy cover of more than 70 per cent). The moderately dense forests, with canopy cover from 40-70 per cent lost over 1,400 sq km. The loss was offset, to an extent, by increase in forest cover in the open forest category—canopy cover from 10-40 per cent. The increase was primarily due to plantations. But, plantations do not ensure ecological viability; monoculture plantations are usually commercially targeted and are of little ecological value, say experts.
“If the trend continues, more and more quality forests will get wiped out. The government has tried to show reduced losses through plantation and afforestation activities, which is not comparable to natural forests,” says Kohli. Experts also say that states had not utilized funds for undertaking compensatory afforestation in lieu of diversion of forest area for non forest use. Even the plantations raised by forest departments under compensatory afforestation cannot be compared to natural forests, they add.
Forest rights activists allege when it comes to industries, the government has huge areas to divert but it overlooks the rights of forest communities. Until 2002, no land was diverted for conversion to revenue villages. In only nine cases, post 2002, forest areas were converted to revenue. “When it comes to giving rights to forest communities, they do not find priority in the moef,” says environmentalist Madhu Sarin. “Huge areas are lying with forest departments which are without forest cover and people have been cultivating on those land for centuries, but the government is never keen on diverting such land to give forest communities ownerships; on the other hand huge areas with good quality forest cover has been diverted for mining and other industrial projects,” Sarin adds.
The Forest Survey of India usually does not analyse forest cover based on their legal status or ownership. In the present assessment, however, it did analyse the changes in recorded forests in three states and one union territory. The report revealed a substantial portion (on an average more than 35 per cent) of forest cover recorded from the states lies outside recorded forest area. For example in Andhra Pradesh, only about 60 per cent of the forest area is under recorded forest cover. “If they have so much area devoid of forests they have better reasons to give it to forest communities,” said Sarin.
A conference organized by the Union environment ministry on February 12 in the national capital came out with the Tiger Census 2008 and the State of India’s Forests Report 2005. Both came out with dismal figures: a little more than 1,400 tigers are left in the county; and over 725 sq km of forests have vanished between 2002 and 2004. Add to that forestland diverted between 2004 and 2007—over 2,750 sq km according to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests’ data.
The common questions conservationists and wildlife experts are asking are: where did the forests vanish; where did the tigers go?
The tiger census 2008, among other things, highlighted the following:
1,410 tigers are left in the wild
No tigers outside protected areas
Habitat degradation, poaching and a reduced prey base are the problem areas
The census, carried out jointly by the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, is being considered the “first scientific assessment” because it used the camera trap method.
Wildlife experts say it cannot be compared to the 2001 tiger census. The census was carried out using the pug mark method. It had estimated the number of tigers at 3642; around 1,500 tigers within protected areas and the rest outside such areas. The prime minister-appointed Tiger Task Force in its report in 2005, had called the census unscientific and said that it had overestimated the tiger population (see table: Number game).
“We had said long ago that tigers are restricted to protected areas,” says K Ullas Karanth, director, Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bangalore.
• Key players in the clearance process
Rajesh Gopal, member secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority, agrees. “The tiger remains threatened within tiger reserves and protected areas,” he says.
The current survey classified tiger habitats into six regions. Each region had a group of tiger reserves under it. The Central Indian Landcape which includes Kanha, Pench and other reserves, has the potential for sustaining long-term population of tigers, the report said.
“Providing connectivity among individual tiger habitats through wildlife corridors and creating inviolate areas and buffer zones surrounding tiger reserves will add to conservation of tigers and other wildlife,” says Gopal.
The report revealed that tigers and their prey are often poached in reserves where Naxals have a strong presence: such as the Indravati reserve in Chhattisgarh and Palamau in Jharkhand. The report said it was important to involve local communities in tiger conservation, especially in buffer and corridor areas. According to Karanth, certain areas have higher population of tigers because prey is available in plenty there. Corbett, for instance, which has 174 tigers. Hence the priority should be to protect the prey and the tiger population by creating inviolate areas; the rest of the measures can follow.
Number game
Scientific census puts tigers at 1,410
Note: NA-Not Assessed
Source: www.indiastat.com; Tiger Census 2008
The vanishing act
The State of India’s Forest 2005, revealed by the Forest Survey of India, highlighted:
728 sq km of net loss of forests during 2002-04 (0.11 per cent of India’s total forest cover)
Madhya Pradesh lost 132 sq km of forests (The state has 11 per cent of country’s total forest cover); Gujarat lost 99 sq km
Nagaland lost 296 sq km of forests; Manipur, 173 sq km (North-eastern states account for over 25 per cent of forest cover)
Compared to the 2003 assessment there is a loss of 635 sq km of forest cover in 188 tribal districts (The 2003 assessment is the forest survey carried out for the period 2000-2001; the 188 tribal districts constitute about 60 per cent of the total forest cover)
124 hill districts suffered a loss of forest cover of over 250 sq km compared to the 2003 assessment
Between 1997 and 2002, the total forest cover inside tiger reserves and outer surrounds decreased by 94 sq km and 124 sq km (outer surrounds include a strip of about 10 km outside tiger reserves)
To where?
Forests have always been an important source of livelihood for tribal communities. “Forests in tribal areas have suffered most due to mining activities and construction of dams,” says Kanchi Kohli, member of Kalpvriksh Environmental Action Group. Since the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, came into existence, about 1,116 sq km of forestland have been diverted for mining between 1981 and 2007 (see table: Who benefits?)
Who benefits?
Forestland diverted to various sectors
Source: Union Ministry of Environment and Forests
The other fallout is that it will affect tigers as well because a lot of tiger habitats are inSchedule v areas. “The maximum loss of dense forest cover has also occured in districts where tigers and tribals share space. The tiger habitat is under threat. People will lose their livelihoods,” notes the Tiger Task Force report.
The forest survey report says Andaman and Nicobar islands lost more than 175 sq km of their forest to the 2004 tsunami. In other states, especially Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the loss was primarily because of submergence from dam construction . About 1,191 sq km of moderately dense forest was converted to non-forest. Similarly, about 61 sq km of very dense forest and more than 3,300 sq km of open forest was converted to non-forest. The Union environment ministry has allowed diversion of 11,400 sq km since 1980 (see box: Key players in the clearance process). Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh have seen the highest diversion.
Critics say the loss of forest cover would be much higher if plantation and other afforestation programmes were not taken into account. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Manipur and Andaman and Nicobar Islands witnessed huge forest loss during the assessment period under very dense forest category (with canopy cover of more than 70 per cent). The moderately dense forests, with canopy cover from 40-70 per cent lost over 1,400 sq km. The loss was offset, to an extent, by increase in forest cover in the open forest category—canopy cover from 10-40 per cent. The increase was primarily due to plantations. But, plantations do not ensure ecological viability; monoculture plantations are usually commercially targeted and are of little ecological value, say experts.
“If the trend continues, more and more quality forests will get wiped out. The government has tried to show reduced losses through plantation and afforestation activities, which is not comparable to natural forests,” says Kohli. Experts also say that states had not utilized funds for undertaking compensatory afforestation in lieu of diversion of forest area for non forest use. Even the plantations raised by forest departments under compensatory afforestation cannot be compared to natural forests, they add.
Forest rights activists allege when it comes to industries, the government has huge areas to divert but it overlooks the rights of forest communities. Until 2002, no land was diverted for conversion to revenue villages. In only nine cases, post 2002, forest areas were converted to revenue. “When it comes to giving rights to forest communities, they do not find priority in the moef,” says environmentalist Madhu Sarin. “Huge areas are lying with forest departments which are without forest cover and people have been cultivating on those land for centuries, but the government is never keen on diverting such land to give forest communities ownerships; on the other hand huge areas with good quality forest cover has been diverted for mining and other industrial projects,” Sarin adds.
The Forest Survey of India usually does not analyse forest cover based on their legal status or ownership. In the present assessment, however, it did analyse the changes in recorded forests in three states and one union territory. The report revealed a substantial portion (on an average more than 35 per cent) of forest cover recorded from the states lies outside recorded forest area. For example in Andhra Pradesh, only about 60 per cent of the forest area is under recorded forest cover. “If they have so much area devoid of forests they have better reasons to give it to forest communities,” said Sarin.
Monday, March 3, 2008
High alert around Gir range on poaching anniversary.
SIBTE HUSAIN BUKHARI
Posted online: Friday , February 29, 2008 at 11:53:32
Updated: Friday , February 29, 2008 at 12:13:33
Junagadh, February 28
The forest department has geared up to check incidents of poaching in and around the Gir Forest. As the first anniversary of the infamous Gir poaching incidents approaches, a high alert has been sounded across the range against a possible repeat of the last year’s acts.
According to BP Pati, deputy conservator of forest (Gir west), “A high alert has been sounded in and around the Gir forest. Apart from regular check post, three more permanent checkposts have been erected on three different strategically important points.”
It was on March 3, 2007 that the carcasses of three lions were found in the forest. The lions were killed by poachers in the Babaria range falling under Gir West Forest division. And it was just the beginning of a string of daredevil poaching acts that rocked the range during the previous year.
In an open defiance to security clamped by the state government, poachers repeated their dastardly act 26 days later. On March 29, three more lions were killed in the same area of the forest sending the forest department into a tizzy. And before the department could chalk out any action plan to check such incidents, two more lions were killed on April 12 — this time in the revenue area, on the outskirts of Bhandariya village near Jesar town in Bhavnagar. With this third major poaching incident in nearly a month and a half, the very existence of the last surviving group of Asiatic lions looked in danger.
An stung forest department was really clueless about the whole affair even as Chief Minister Narendra Modi air-dashed to Sasan — the prime hub of lions — to take stock of the situation. Call it a result if a relentless effort or sheer chance, the day the chief minister visited Sasan, the Junagadh police nabbed 21 alleged poachers, including seven women, allegedly responsible for the Gir incidents. Later, the Bhavanagar police also arrested 17 people, including seven women, while they were planning their escape. All of them belonged to the Parghi tribes from Madhya Pradesh’s Katni district. Poaching is their main occupation. All of them are still in custody and their bail pleas have been repeatedly rejected — first by the trial court and then on January, 2008 by the Gujarat High Court.
When contacted, conservator of forest (wildlife) Bharat Pathak said, “Intensified patrolling and checking of migrant labourers working in agriculture fields in the area surrounding the forest is going on round the clock.” He added that in a bid to keep a close watch on any suspicious movement in the revenue area adjoining the forest, some 200 villagers had been pressed into service after being appointed as ‘friends of wildlife’.
“Soon, 100 more people would be added to this group. A series of village meetings have been organised as a part of people’s awareness programme and village heads have been asked to keep extra vigil in their respective area,” he said.
JS Solanki, deputy conservator of the forest (Gir East), said: “We will not allow the repetition of the last year’s incident. Random checking at any place surrounding the Gir Forest is going on. Besides, we have also been effectively using mobile checkposts in our strategy.”
Posted online: Friday , February 29, 2008 at 11:53:32
Updated: Friday , February 29, 2008 at 12:13:33
Junagadh, February 28
The forest department has geared up to check incidents of poaching in and around the Gir Forest. As the first anniversary of the infamous Gir poaching incidents approaches, a high alert has been sounded across the range against a possible repeat of the last year’s acts.
According to BP Pati, deputy conservator of forest (Gir west), “A high alert has been sounded in and around the Gir forest. Apart from regular check post, three more permanent checkposts have been erected on three different strategically important points.”
It was on March 3, 2007 that the carcasses of three lions were found in the forest. The lions were killed by poachers in the Babaria range falling under Gir West Forest division. And it was just the beginning of a string of daredevil poaching acts that rocked the range during the previous year.
In an open defiance to security clamped by the state government, poachers repeated their dastardly act 26 days later. On March 29, three more lions were killed in the same area of the forest sending the forest department into a tizzy. And before the department could chalk out any action plan to check such incidents, two more lions were killed on April 12 — this time in the revenue area, on the outskirts of Bhandariya village near Jesar town in Bhavnagar. With this third major poaching incident in nearly a month and a half, the very existence of the last surviving group of Asiatic lions looked in danger.
An stung forest department was really clueless about the whole affair even as Chief Minister Narendra Modi air-dashed to Sasan — the prime hub of lions — to take stock of the situation. Call it a result if a relentless effort or sheer chance, the day the chief minister visited Sasan, the Junagadh police nabbed 21 alleged poachers, including seven women, allegedly responsible for the Gir incidents. Later, the Bhavanagar police also arrested 17 people, including seven women, while they were planning their escape. All of them belonged to the Parghi tribes from Madhya Pradesh’s Katni district. Poaching is their main occupation. All of them are still in custody and their bail pleas have been repeatedly rejected — first by the trial court and then on January, 2008 by the Gujarat High Court.
When contacted, conservator of forest (wildlife) Bharat Pathak said, “Intensified patrolling and checking of migrant labourers working in agriculture fields in the area surrounding the forest is going on round the clock.” He added that in a bid to keep a close watch on any suspicious movement in the revenue area adjoining the forest, some 200 villagers had been pressed into service after being appointed as ‘friends of wildlife’.
“Soon, 100 more people would be added to this group. A series of village meetings have been organised as a part of people’s awareness programme and village heads have been asked to keep extra vigil in their respective area,” he said.
JS Solanki, deputy conservator of the forest (Gir East), said: “We will not allow the repetition of the last year’s incident. Random checking at any place surrounding the Gir Forest is going on. Besides, we have also been effectively using mobile checkposts in our strategy.”
TRIBAL ISSUES
Targeting tribes
DIONNE BUNSHA
in Sabarkantha
The conflict over forest rights in many States claims its first tribal victim in Gujarat. Text and photographs
IN the empty courtyard of Sajabhai Bodat’s hut, there is nothing but a white, plastic chair propped against a mud wall in faded green. The chair holds a framed photograph of Sajabhai, who was recently killed by a police bullet. On the cow dung lined floor under the chair are two steel urns that hold his ashes. Sajabhai’s family is in mourning, still trying to figure out why he was killed and is afraid to speak up.
Early on the morning of February 13, the police stormed into Sajabhai’s house and arrested him, says his brother Lakshibhai. “At around 4 p.m., the local Member of Parliament Madhusudan Mistry came to the village [Vajepur in Sabarkantha district] and asked his son Suresh to come to the hospital to identify his body. There was a bullet in his chest,” says Lakshibhai.
Sajabhai’s death has stirred up a controversy in Vijaynagar taluk, a forest area in northern Gujarat, close to the border with Rajasthan. The police claim that they did not arrest Sajabhai. “He was part of a huge armed crowd of Adivasis who stormed into our Dholwani Range Forest Office at Antarsumba Ashram soon after we arrested six people for uprooting more than 600 saplings from our plantation and trying to occupy the land illegally,” says M.J. Parmar, the District Forest Officer (DFO). “Since we could not control the mob, and they had already injured eight of our staff, the police had to fire to disperse the crowd. Unfortunately, Sajabhai was killed in the firing. He was not arrested, even though he was on the list of people we wanted to arrest,” says Parmar. But Sajabhai’s relatives say that he was killed in police custody.
This is just one of the many inconsistencies this correspondent encountered while trying to unravel what led to the police firing and the deaths of two Adivasis. Besides Sajabhai, a schoolteacher who was in the bazaar near the range office was also killed by a stray bullet.
Sajabhai is perhaps the first casualty of the murky conflicts intensifying across the country soon after the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act was notified in January 2008, giving Adivasis and forest-dwelling communities rights over the land that they had been occupying before December 13, 2005 (Cover Story, Frontline, February 29).
Clashes between Adivasis and Forest Departments are erupting as the latter are reluctant to let go of land under their control and political groups and vested interests are behind tribal people’s attempts to stake their claim over land. Adivasis can claim land rights under the Act by filing an application with the Gram Sabha, which will decide whether the claim is genuine. State governments are yet to implement the Act.
In Vajepur and nearby villages, Adivasis were accused of forcefully taking over plantation land belonging to the Forest Department. “On February 5, a huge crowd occupied our plantation in Vajepur and destroyed 640 saplings in seven hectares [one hectare is 2.5 acres]. They also cut 81 trees in the reserve forest in Abhapur in Polo [forest area in Sabarkantha]. They constructed a hut to claim that they were already settled there,” says Parmar.
“Only a few families from Vajepur were involved. The entire village did not support them because this is a common property where they graze cattle, collect grass and minor forest produce like mahua and medicinal herbs,” says the DFO. “Around 500 to 600 people from outside, armed with axes and bows and arrows, occupied the plantation. Over several days we tried to convince them not to chop down the trees but they threatened us.”
“There is a lot of politics involved,” adds Parmar. “Members of the All India Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF) were behind this. They have been organising meetings in the area, telling tribal people to claim their rights over the forest. Madhusudan Mistry has been holding such meetings too. He had one at Vijaynagar on February 3, and people occupied this land on February 5.” The Forest Department filed a case against key local leaders and arrested six of them on the morning of February 13. But Sajabhai’s family has a different story to tell. “Where is the plantation they are talking about? Go and look. There wasn’t a single sapling there. It existed only on paper. We used to grow maize there for 30 years before they fenced it off for a plantation,” says Lakshibhai.
When this correspondent reached the site, there were no saplings, and no sign of them being pulled out of the mud. There were square pits filled with dry leaves and a few burnt stumps of khakhra and ratanjyot trees that were cut. There was a frame of a hut being built on the site. Govind Parmar, president of the BAMCEF’s Gujarat unit, refused to comment, while Madhusudan Mistry dismissed allegations against him as politically motivated. “I have been fighting for Adivasi rights since 1986. The Chief Conservator of Forests wants to silence me so that the tribal people don’t demand land. If I am responsible, why haven’t they arrested me?” says Mistry.
“If the Forest Department feels that people have cut down trees, it should punish them according to the law. It does not have the right to kill people,” says Babubhai Damore, a local activist and member of the National Scheduled Area and Scheduled Tribes Committee. “For the first time, Parliament has passed a law to protect the rights of the tribal people who have been living in the forests for generations. There are 67,000 claims of people living in the forest even before 1980 pending with the Gujarat government, but it has not sent these to the Central government to be processed.”
“For the past few months the Gujarat Forest Department has been issuing press notes with no factual basis, stating that the Forest Rights Act is encouraging encroachments into the forest. They have been trying to spread this propaganda,” says Amrish Mehta from the Peoples’ Union for Civil Liberties. “In Vijaynagar, people started erecting huts because they were anxious that they may not get the land that they have been cultivating for 30 years. However, if the BAMCEF or others had informed Adivasis correctly, they would have known that they can get the rights to their land under the Act even if they were dispossessed of it; so they have no need to worry,” says Mehta.
The Forest Rights Act is criticised by wildlife activists on the grounds that it will hasten the destruction of forests. Vijaynagar and Polo have the best virgin forests in northern Gujarat. But even forest officials such as Parmar admit that these forests are in a good condition because people have access to them and preserve them. Several other forests controlled by the Forest Department are not as healthy.
Since the Forest Rights Act has come into force, the Forest Department has been aggressively trying to deny people their rights and political groups have been trying to stir up trouble. But it is local Adivasis who face the consequences. What Sajabhai’s family has lost cannot be replaced by a photograph on a chair.
DIONNE BUNSHA
in Sabarkantha
The conflict over forest rights in many States claims its first tribal victim in Gujarat. Text and photographs
IN the empty courtyard of Sajabhai Bodat’s hut, there is nothing but a white, plastic chair propped against a mud wall in faded green. The chair holds a framed photograph of Sajabhai, who was recently killed by a police bullet. On the cow dung lined floor under the chair are two steel urns that hold his ashes. Sajabhai’s family is in mourning, still trying to figure out why he was killed and is afraid to speak up.
Early on the morning of February 13, the police stormed into Sajabhai’s house and arrested him, says his brother Lakshibhai. “At around 4 p.m., the local Member of Parliament Madhusudan Mistry came to the village [Vajepur in Sabarkantha district] and asked his son Suresh to come to the hospital to identify his body. There was a bullet in his chest,” says Lakshibhai.
Sajabhai’s death has stirred up a controversy in Vijaynagar taluk, a forest area in northern Gujarat, close to the border with Rajasthan. The police claim that they did not arrest Sajabhai. “He was part of a huge armed crowd of Adivasis who stormed into our Dholwani Range Forest Office at Antarsumba Ashram soon after we arrested six people for uprooting more than 600 saplings from our plantation and trying to occupy the land illegally,” says M.J. Parmar, the District Forest Officer (DFO). “Since we could not control the mob, and they had already injured eight of our staff, the police had to fire to disperse the crowd. Unfortunately, Sajabhai was killed in the firing. He was not arrested, even though he was on the list of people we wanted to arrest,” says Parmar. But Sajabhai’s relatives say that he was killed in police custody.
This is just one of the many inconsistencies this correspondent encountered while trying to unravel what led to the police firing and the deaths of two Adivasis. Besides Sajabhai, a schoolteacher who was in the bazaar near the range office was also killed by a stray bullet.
Sajabhai is perhaps the first casualty of the murky conflicts intensifying across the country soon after the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act was notified in January 2008, giving Adivasis and forest-dwelling communities rights over the land that they had been occupying before December 13, 2005 (Cover Story, Frontline, February 29).
Clashes between Adivasis and Forest Departments are erupting as the latter are reluctant to let go of land under their control and political groups and vested interests are behind tribal people’s attempts to stake their claim over land. Adivasis can claim land rights under the Act by filing an application with the Gram Sabha, which will decide whether the claim is genuine. State governments are yet to implement the Act.
In Vajepur and nearby villages, Adivasis were accused of forcefully taking over plantation land belonging to the Forest Department. “On February 5, a huge crowd occupied our plantation in Vajepur and destroyed 640 saplings in seven hectares [one hectare is 2.5 acres]. They also cut 81 trees in the reserve forest in Abhapur in Polo [forest area in Sabarkantha]. They constructed a hut to claim that they were already settled there,” says Parmar.
“Only a few families from Vajepur were involved. The entire village did not support them because this is a common property where they graze cattle, collect grass and minor forest produce like mahua and medicinal herbs,” says the DFO. “Around 500 to 600 people from outside, armed with axes and bows and arrows, occupied the plantation. Over several days we tried to convince them not to chop down the trees but they threatened us.”
“There is a lot of politics involved,” adds Parmar. “Members of the All India Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF) were behind this. They have been organising meetings in the area, telling tribal people to claim their rights over the forest. Madhusudan Mistry has been holding such meetings too. He had one at Vijaynagar on February 3, and people occupied this land on February 5.” The Forest Department filed a case against key local leaders and arrested six of them on the morning of February 13. But Sajabhai’s family has a different story to tell. “Where is the plantation they are talking about? Go and look. There wasn’t a single sapling there. It existed only on paper. We used to grow maize there for 30 years before they fenced it off for a plantation,” says Lakshibhai.
When this correspondent reached the site, there were no saplings, and no sign of them being pulled out of the mud. There were square pits filled with dry leaves and a few burnt stumps of khakhra and ratanjyot trees that were cut. There was a frame of a hut being built on the site. Govind Parmar, president of the BAMCEF’s Gujarat unit, refused to comment, while Madhusudan Mistry dismissed allegations against him as politically motivated. “I have been fighting for Adivasi rights since 1986. The Chief Conservator of Forests wants to silence me so that the tribal people don’t demand land. If I am responsible, why haven’t they arrested me?” says Mistry.
“If the Forest Department feels that people have cut down trees, it should punish them according to the law. It does not have the right to kill people,” says Babubhai Damore, a local activist and member of the National Scheduled Area and Scheduled Tribes Committee. “For the first time, Parliament has passed a law to protect the rights of the tribal people who have been living in the forests for generations. There are 67,000 claims of people living in the forest even before 1980 pending with the Gujarat government, but it has not sent these to the Central government to be processed.”
“For the past few months the Gujarat Forest Department has been issuing press notes with no factual basis, stating that the Forest Rights Act is encouraging encroachments into the forest. They have been trying to spread this propaganda,” says Amrish Mehta from the Peoples’ Union for Civil Liberties. “In Vijaynagar, people started erecting huts because they were anxious that they may not get the land that they have been cultivating for 30 years. However, if the BAMCEF or others had informed Adivasis correctly, they would have known that they can get the rights to their land under the Act even if they were dispossessed of it; so they have no need to worry,” says Mehta.
The Forest Rights Act is criticised by wildlife activists on the grounds that it will hasten the destruction of forests. Vijaynagar and Polo have the best virgin forests in northern Gujarat. But even forest officials such as Parmar admit that these forests are in a good condition because people have access to them and preserve them. Several other forests controlled by the Forest Department are not as healthy.
Since the Forest Rights Act has come into force, the Forest Department has been aggressively trying to deny people their rights and political groups have been trying to stir up trouble. But it is local Adivasis who face the consequences. What Sajabhai’s family has lost cannot be replaced by a photograph on a chair.
New partner for at risk lioness
A zoo has brought in a new lion for an endangered lioness, because her old mate has a low sperm count and cannot father any more cubs.
Moti, 14, Bristol Zoo's Asiatic lioness, already has three offspring by her former mate Chandra, 14.
But staff wanted her to be a mother again and have brought in Kamal, a 13-year-old from Twycross Zoo.
They hope the pair will bond, because there are just 350 Asiatic lions left in the wild.
The species can only be found in the wild in the Gir Forest Sanctuary in northern India.
Chandra has now moved to Cotswold Wildlife Park to comfort a female lion whose partner died in November.
Bristol Zoo's senior curator of animals, John Partridge, said: "Asiatic lions are critically endangered, so it is great news to have a new male lion and Kamal is a very handsome-looking creature."
Moti, 14, Bristol Zoo's Asiatic lioness, already has three offspring by her former mate Chandra, 14.
But staff wanted her to be a mother again and have brought in Kamal, a 13-year-old from Twycross Zoo.
They hope the pair will bond, because there are just 350 Asiatic lions left in the wild.
The species can only be found in the wild in the Gir Forest Sanctuary in northern India.
Chandra has now moved to Cotswold Wildlife Park to comfort a female lion whose partner died in November.
Bristol Zoo's senior curator of animals, John Partridge, said: "Asiatic lions are critically endangered, so it is great news to have a new male lion and Kamal is a very handsome-looking creature."
Why this lion's cubs would be the pride of zooFeb 25 2008
By Steve Evans
THIS handsome chap, the pride of a Warwickshire zoo, is poised to set off on an amorous mission to help preserve the future of one of the world's most endangered species.
His name is Kamal, a rare Asiatic lion, and he has been chosen to spearhead a breeding programme which staff at Twycross Zoo hope will be a roaring success.
Kamal will be leaving his enclosure off the A444 near Nuneaton in the next few days to woo Moti, a lioness at Bristol Zoo and Gardens.
It is hoped that Bristol Zoo will soon hear the patter of many tiny paws.
Asiatic lions are critically endangered and are part of an internationally co-ordinated conservation breeding programme.
THIS handsome chap, the pride of a Warwickshire zoo, is poised to set off on an amorous mission to help preserve the future of one of the world's most endangered species.
His name is Kamal, a rare Asiatic lion, and he has been chosen to spearhead a breeding programme which staff at Twycross Zoo hope will be a roaring success.
Kamal will be leaving his enclosure off the A444 near Nuneaton in the next few days to woo Moti, a lioness at Bristol Zoo and Gardens.
It is hoped that Bristol Zoo will soon hear the patter of many tiny paws.
Asiatic lions are critically endangered and are part of an internationally co-ordinated conservation breeding programme.
Junagadh- the city of legends
Sunday, 02.24.2008, 09:58pm (GMT-7)
An ancient fortified city rich in myth and legend, Junagadh lies at the foot of Girnar Hill and takes its name from the 'Old Fort' which circles the medieval town. The Girnar Hills stands from 2500 years BC having a legend of the rimes of the emperor Ashoka (250 BC) whose fourteen rock edicts can be seen cut into a great rock outside the city.
Junagadh breathes history. These edicts, set up by Ashoka, the Great Indian emperor, date back 2200 years. Within this ancient fort of Uparkot, the architectural marvels of Hindu Chudasma rulers and Muslim Mohmud Beghda coexist in perfect harmony. The majestic Mohabatkhan Maqbara, a memorial to Junagadh's Babi Ruler and the Veritable Darbar Hall Museum show that Junagadh continued to make history untill as recently as 100 years ago.
History: An impressive fort, Uperkot, located on a plateau in the middle of town, was originally built by the Mauryan Chandragupta in 319 B.C.E.. It was covered over for 300 years, then rediscovered in 976 C.E. It was besieged 16 times over an 800-year period. One unsuccessful siege lasted twelve years.An inscription with fourteen Edicts of Ashoka is found on a large boulder within 2 km of Uperkot Fort.
The inscriptions carry Brahmi script in Pali language and date back to 250 B.C.E. On the same rock are inscriptions in Sanskrit added around 150 C.E. by Mahakshatrap Rudradaman I, the Saka (Scythian) ruler of Malwa, a member of the Western Kshatrapas dynasty. Another dates from about 450 C.E. by Skandagupta, the last Gupta emperor. Old rock-cut Buddhist "caves" in this area, dating from well before 500 C.E., have stone carvings and floral work. There are also the Khapra Kodia Caves north of the fort, and the Babupyana Caves south of the fort.
The Maitraka dynasty ruled Gujarat in western India from 475 to 767 C.E. The founder of the dynasty, general Bhatarka, a military governor of Saurashtra peninsula under the Gupta empire, established himself as the independent ruler of Gujarat approximately in the last quarter of the 5th century. However, James Tod states Maitraka rule ended as early as 524 C.E.
Mughal rule: Zaid Khan Babi, who had owed allegiance to the Sultan of Ahmedabad, founded the state of Junagadh by expelling the then Mughal governor and declaring his independence in the 18th century (1748 C.E.). He assumed the name Zaid Khan when he came to power in Junagadh. The Babi Nawabs of Junagadh went on to conquer large territories in southern Saurashtra. It was rising of Babi dynasty. His descendants ruled over the state for the next two centuries, first as tributaries of Baroda, and later under the suzerainty of the British. Nawab of babi dynasty.
British rule: The British East India Company took control of the state in 1818, but the Saurashtra area never came under the direct control of the British. Rather, it was divided into over one hundred princely states right up to Independence. The present old town, developed during Chhatri of Lord Swaminarayan's Charanavind at JunagadhOn the land presented by Jinabhai (Hemantsingh) Darbar of Panchala, Lord Swaminarayan got constructed a huge temple at Junagadh by Sant Brahmanand Swami and installed Radha, Ramandev, Ranchhodji, Trikamji and Siddheshwar Mahadev with Parvati Devi in Vikram Samvat year 1884 on the second day of the dark half of the month of Vaishakh (Vad 2), on Friday, May 1, 1828 A.D.
Places to Visit
Uparkot Fort: Famous in by gone times for its virtual inaccessibility, the Upar Kot or Upper Fort is girdled by a wall that is, in some places, over 20m high. An ornate entrance gateway leads to the ruins. A mosque still stands in a state of preservation. A Nilamtope (canon) was acquired by the Nawab of Junagadh from a Turkish Sultan. There are also two stepwells, Jama Masjid and Buddhist caves in the fort premises.
Chorwad Beach: 66 Kms. from Junagadh and 23 Kms. from the fishing centre of Veraval, Chorwad is a delightful resort on the sunny coast of Gujarat. And an excellent road connects it to Junagadh, Girnar, the Gir Forest Sanctuary and the famous temple of Somnath.
Sasan Gir Forest & Sanctuary: It is situated 65 Kms. from Junagadh via Keshod (where there is an aiport). It is connected both by Rail as well as Road. Sasan Gir Sanctuary provides refuge to that rare species-the Asiatic Lion. The sanctuary covers an area of 500 sq. miles of dry, open scrubland where the lions roam freely. They can be seen on guided jeep tours through the jungles.
Ahmadpur Mandvi: Close by the sea, with an option to entertaining oneself lazing on the beach, swimming or enjoying water sports facilities, Ahmedapur Mandvi is one of the finest beaches of the country.
Damodar: A sacred tank marks the ascent to the Girnar temples.
Ashoka's Rock Edicts:On the way to Girnar, fourteen rock edicts of the Emperor Ashoka can be seen inscribed on a great boulder. The inscription carry Brahmi script in Pali language and dates back to 263 B.C. On the same rock are inscriptions in Sanskrit.
How to get there ?
Air: Nearest Airport is Keshod 40 km.. Daily flight from Bombay to Keshod.
Rail: 395 km. from Ahmedabad, meter gauge line.
Road: 400 km. from Ahmedabad via Rajkot, Junagadh and Mendarda, 43 km. from Veraval and 65 km. from Junagadh Via Mendarda.
An ancient fortified city rich in myth and legend, Junagadh lies at the foot of Girnar Hill and takes its name from the 'Old Fort' which circles the medieval town. The Girnar Hills stands from 2500 years BC having a legend of the rimes of the emperor Ashoka (250 BC) whose fourteen rock edicts can be seen cut into a great rock outside the city.
Junagadh breathes history. These edicts, set up by Ashoka, the Great Indian emperor, date back 2200 years. Within this ancient fort of Uparkot, the architectural marvels of Hindu Chudasma rulers and Muslim Mohmud Beghda coexist in perfect harmony. The majestic Mohabatkhan Maqbara, a memorial to Junagadh's Babi Ruler and the Veritable Darbar Hall Museum show that Junagadh continued to make history untill as recently as 100 years ago.
History: An impressive fort, Uperkot, located on a plateau in the middle of town, was originally built by the Mauryan Chandragupta in 319 B.C.E.. It was covered over for 300 years, then rediscovered in 976 C.E. It was besieged 16 times over an 800-year period. One unsuccessful siege lasted twelve years.An inscription with fourteen Edicts of Ashoka is found on a large boulder within 2 km of Uperkot Fort.
The inscriptions carry Brahmi script in Pali language and date back to 250 B.C.E. On the same rock are inscriptions in Sanskrit added around 150 C.E. by Mahakshatrap Rudradaman I, the Saka (Scythian) ruler of Malwa, a member of the Western Kshatrapas dynasty. Another dates from about 450 C.E. by Skandagupta, the last Gupta emperor. Old rock-cut Buddhist "caves" in this area, dating from well before 500 C.E., have stone carvings and floral work. There are also the Khapra Kodia Caves north of the fort, and the Babupyana Caves south of the fort.
The Maitraka dynasty ruled Gujarat in western India from 475 to 767 C.E. The founder of the dynasty, general Bhatarka, a military governor of Saurashtra peninsula under the Gupta empire, established himself as the independent ruler of Gujarat approximately in the last quarter of the 5th century. However, James Tod states Maitraka rule ended as early as 524 C.E.
Mughal rule: Zaid Khan Babi, who had owed allegiance to the Sultan of Ahmedabad, founded the state of Junagadh by expelling the then Mughal governor and declaring his independence in the 18th century (1748 C.E.). He assumed the name Zaid Khan when he came to power in Junagadh. The Babi Nawabs of Junagadh went on to conquer large territories in southern Saurashtra. It was rising of Babi dynasty. His descendants ruled over the state for the next two centuries, first as tributaries of Baroda, and later under the suzerainty of the British. Nawab of babi dynasty.
British rule: The British East India Company took control of the state in 1818, but the Saurashtra area never came under the direct control of the British. Rather, it was divided into over one hundred princely states right up to Independence. The present old town, developed during Chhatri of Lord Swaminarayan's Charanavind at JunagadhOn the land presented by Jinabhai (Hemantsingh) Darbar of Panchala, Lord Swaminarayan got constructed a huge temple at Junagadh by Sant Brahmanand Swami and installed Radha, Ramandev, Ranchhodji, Trikamji and Siddheshwar Mahadev with Parvati Devi in Vikram Samvat year 1884 on the second day of the dark half of the month of Vaishakh (Vad 2), on Friday, May 1, 1828 A.D.
Places to Visit
Uparkot Fort: Famous in by gone times for its virtual inaccessibility, the Upar Kot or Upper Fort is girdled by a wall that is, in some places, over 20m high. An ornate entrance gateway leads to the ruins. A mosque still stands in a state of preservation. A Nilamtope (canon) was acquired by the Nawab of Junagadh from a Turkish Sultan. There are also two stepwells, Jama Masjid and Buddhist caves in the fort premises.
Chorwad Beach: 66 Kms. from Junagadh and 23 Kms. from the fishing centre of Veraval, Chorwad is a delightful resort on the sunny coast of Gujarat. And an excellent road connects it to Junagadh, Girnar, the Gir Forest Sanctuary and the famous temple of Somnath.
Sasan Gir Forest & Sanctuary: It is situated 65 Kms. from Junagadh via Keshod (where there is an aiport). It is connected both by Rail as well as Road. Sasan Gir Sanctuary provides refuge to that rare species-the Asiatic Lion. The sanctuary covers an area of 500 sq. miles of dry, open scrubland where the lions roam freely. They can be seen on guided jeep tours through the jungles.
Ahmadpur Mandvi: Close by the sea, with an option to entertaining oneself lazing on the beach, swimming or enjoying water sports facilities, Ahmedapur Mandvi is one of the finest beaches of the country.
Damodar: A sacred tank marks the ascent to the Girnar temples.
Ashoka's Rock Edicts:On the way to Girnar, fourteen rock edicts of the Emperor Ashoka can be seen inscribed on a great boulder. The inscription carry Brahmi script in Pali language and dates back to 263 B.C. On the same rock are inscriptions in Sanskrit.
How to get there ?
Air: Nearest Airport is Keshod 40 km.. Daily flight from Bombay to Keshod.
Rail: 395 km. from Ahmedabad, meter gauge line.
Road: 400 km. from Ahmedabad via Rajkot, Junagadh and Mendarda, 43 km. from Veraval and 65 km. from Junagadh Via Mendarda.
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