KOKRAJHAR, Oct 11: The destruction of forests in Bodoland area by the smugglers and encroachers through certain force or weak stand of the departmental officials is taking place although various measures have been formulated by the concerned department by involving the NGOs. Following the conference of the 2nd Asia Pacific Eco-Peace Leadership Programme held from June 18 to 20, 2008 at the 60’s anniversary, Kangwon National University, South Korea organized by UNEP Eco-Peace Leadership Centre (EPLC), Korea, Jebraram Mashahary, the president of Indian Confederation for Indigenous Tribal People- North East Zone (ICITP-NEZ) was fortunate enough to be selected and invited for orientation programme to undertake a case study on the “New Forest Law of India and its lack of conceptual clarity leading to conflicts and the current threat to the forest of Bodoland Territorial Council”. As a result, an agreement between EPLC and ICITP-NEZ was signed on July 1, 2008. The agreement was signed by Jebraram Mashahary for and on behalf of his organization and Dr Hyun-Sub Choi, president, who signed for and on behalf of EPLC, on July 30, 2008, according to which the title of the joint project was entitled as EPLC-ICITP-NEZ New Forest Law and its lack of conceptual clarity leading to conflicts and the current threat to the forest of Bodoland Territorial Council. As per MoU, Mashahary was given to study and carry out research under the guidance of Dr Seo Yeong Wan as his advisor. After having thorough and elaborate discussion on his proposed study with Dr Seo during and after the orientation programme, he under took to carry out this pre-approved humble case study to contribute towards solving one of the most alarming and burning issue of large scale massive on-going encroachment in the forest areas of BTC which is a matter of serious concern for all having adverse implications environmentally, socially, economically and politically.
On the basis of simple analysis, this study confirms the factors leading to large scale deforestation of forest in BTC due to– Bodoland movement, lack of sustainable forest management and inadequate forest protection forces, timber smugglers, poachers and anti-social elements’ illegal activities, poor economic condition of the villagers, influx and external population pressure and new forest law of India.
This study confirmed that during the turbulent period in the last two decades of Bodoland movement spearheaded by All Bodoland Students’ Union (ABSU) from 1986-1993 and later by Bodoland Liberation Tigers (BLT) from 1996-2003, 80 per cent of the infrastructure like building, roads, bridges, and culverts and other basic infrastructures in the forest area were destroyed. In the absence of forest staff, and taking advantage of disturbed situation prevailing in the area, the miscreants/timber smugglers got opportunities to freely indulge in illegal felling of valuable trees and poaching wild animals leading to disappearances of large areas of deep forest located on either sides of the National Highway No. 31 in present Kokrajhar district and Indo-Bhutan Road in the present Chirang district mostly during 1986-1993. Interestingly enough, this study finds indulgence of not only some high up forest officials but also, State police and paramilitary security forces deployed to content the law and order situation in Bodo dominated areas of Asom involving in large scale illegal felling of valuable timbers, particularly Sal, Sisoo and Gamari and poaching of wild animals in connivance with the miscreants.
This study confirmed that the problem adversely affecting the management of forest in BTC is tremendous and multifaceted one. Lack of proper sustainable forest management policies, effective laws and awareness for public co-operation through inclusive and effective participation to implement various projects and schemes are some of the factors affecting the forest management. BTC Forest Department claims that to mitigate the various problems, the department has prepared schemes to involve villagers in the protection and conservation of forest through Forest Development Agency Schemes. Under these schemes, the Joint Forest Management Committees have been formed. The committees are provided funds to carry out plantations. They are also entrusted with a specified area of forest for protection. According to the department, at present three Forest Divisions are implementing these schemes since 2004-2005.
According to the Forest Department, during the last financial year, the Forest Department has also made a modest start to rebuild the infrastructure by contracting/repairing the Forest Rangers’ quarters and offices at Bashbari, Kuklung, Mushalpur, Kumarikhata and Udalguri. A number of forest camps have also been constructed at strategic places such as Nayekgaon, Bishmuri, Superighat, Athiabari, etc. They claim that at least 352 structures will be required to reconstruct to bring back the infrastructure of the Forest Department that existed prior to 1980 and the approximate cost required for the reconstruction is about Rs 11 crore (US $ 22,000,00 approximately) for which the BTC does not have sufficient fund itself but have to rely on the State and the Central Government.
It is sad to find in this study that the Forest Department currently does not have adequate forces to meet the increasing challenges of protecting the forest. The usual Government norms of providing hardly one dozen forest guards per division with a mere few 303 riffles is too inadequate at this complex situation. Though Asom has armed Assam Forest Protection Force, it lacks advance training, sophisticated weapons, modern communication equipment, etc. They also lack proper accommodation facilities and sufficient vehicle for their transportations. It is worth mentioning here that, while interviewing few of the forest guards of Haltugaon Forest Division, they expressed seriously that due to these reasons they fear of their own security of life since they believed that poachers and the miscreants possess more sophisticated weapons than themselves and therefore they are forced to stay away from the forest areas. Further, due to lack of necessary fund, it is not possible to effectively mobilize the forest staff and forest protection forces required to support the field staff for the protection of forest. In the absence of forest staff, and taking advantage of disturbed situation prevailing in the area, the miscreants/timber smugglers got opportunities to freely indulge in illegal felling of trees and poaching wild animals till date. THE SENTINEL
On the basis of simple analysis, this study confirms the factors leading to large scale deforestation of forest in BTC due to– Bodoland movement, lack of sustainable forest management and inadequate forest protection forces, timber smugglers, poachers and anti-social elements’ illegal activities, poor economic condition of the villagers, influx and external population pressure and new forest law of India.
This study confirmed that during the turbulent period in the last two decades of Bodoland movement spearheaded by All Bodoland Students’ Union (ABSU) from 1986-1993 and later by Bodoland Liberation Tigers (BLT) from 1996-2003, 80 per cent of the infrastructure like building, roads, bridges, and culverts and other basic infrastructures in the forest area were destroyed. In the absence of forest staff, and taking advantage of disturbed situation prevailing in the area, the miscreants/timber smugglers got opportunities to freely indulge in illegal felling of valuable trees and poaching wild animals leading to disappearances of large areas of deep forest located on either sides of the National Highway No. 31 in present Kokrajhar district and Indo-Bhutan Road in the present Chirang district mostly during 1986-1993. Interestingly enough, this study finds indulgence of not only some high up forest officials but also, State police and paramilitary security forces deployed to content the law and order situation in Bodo dominated areas of Asom involving in large scale illegal felling of valuable timbers, particularly Sal, Sisoo and Gamari and poaching of wild animals in connivance with the miscreants.
This study confirmed that the problem adversely affecting the management of forest in BTC is tremendous and multifaceted one. Lack of proper sustainable forest management policies, effective laws and awareness for public co-operation through inclusive and effective participation to implement various projects and schemes are some of the factors affecting the forest management. BTC Forest Department claims that to mitigate the various problems, the department has prepared schemes to involve villagers in the protection and conservation of forest through Forest Development Agency Schemes. Under these schemes, the Joint Forest Management Committees have been formed. The committees are provided funds to carry out plantations. They are also entrusted with a specified area of forest for protection. According to the department, at present three Forest Divisions are implementing these schemes since 2004-2005.
According to the Forest Department, during the last financial year, the Forest Department has also made a modest start to rebuild the infrastructure by contracting/repairing the Forest Rangers’ quarters and offices at Bashbari, Kuklung, Mushalpur, Kumarikhata and Udalguri. A number of forest camps have also been constructed at strategic places such as Nayekgaon, Bishmuri, Superighat, Athiabari, etc. They claim that at least 352 structures will be required to reconstruct to bring back the infrastructure of the Forest Department that existed prior to 1980 and the approximate cost required for the reconstruction is about Rs 11 crore (US $ 22,000,00 approximately) for which the BTC does not have sufficient fund itself but have to rely on the State and the Central Government.
It is sad to find in this study that the Forest Department currently does not have adequate forces to meet the increasing challenges of protecting the forest. The usual Government norms of providing hardly one dozen forest guards per division with a mere few 303 riffles is too inadequate at this complex situation. Though Asom has armed Assam Forest Protection Force, it lacks advance training, sophisticated weapons, modern communication equipment, etc. They also lack proper accommodation facilities and sufficient vehicle for their transportations. It is worth mentioning here that, while interviewing few of the forest guards of Haltugaon Forest Division, they expressed seriously that due to these reasons they fear of their own security of life since they believed that poachers and the miscreants possess more sophisticated weapons than themselves and therefore they are forced to stay away from the forest areas. Further, due to lack of necessary fund, it is not possible to effectively mobilize the forest staff and forest protection forces required to support the field staff for the protection of forest. In the absence of forest staff, and taking advantage of disturbed situation prevailing in the area, the miscreants/timber smugglers got opportunities to freely indulge in illegal felling of trees and poaching wild animals till date. THE SENTINEL
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