TheImprovement ofTropical and Subtropical Rangelands

308 IMPROVEMENT OF TROPIOAL AND SUBTROPIOAL RANGELANDS
many rivers have been converted into dumps for chemical wastes
instead of sites of fish production.
At the same time, there have been measures to win over the
rural population-the major voting blocks. The agriculturists have
been provided irrigation and fertilizers at highly subsidized prices,
and ownership of land has been largely restored to the cultivators,
certainly in the Bedthi-Aghanashini region. However, the initial
attempts to restore communal organization and management of resources
(such as community development programs) have been declared
failures and abandoned. The cooperative movement in the
rural areas has also been discredited. Thus, the new organizations of
urban literate classes and the business community and the bureaucracy
and business corporations have grown stronger, while those of
the rural masses have little clout left. This haa enabled the industry
and the bureaucracy that shares its interests to divert the resources
of the uncultivated lands and waters to its own ends. The bulk of the
rural population is, however, quite dissatisfied with this situation,
and hence unwilling to cooperate in good management of resources
towards this new objective. The result haa been further rapid degradation
of the common property resource base since independence
(Gadgil and Malhotra 1985; Centre for Science and Environment,
1985).
Aquatic Resources
The Aghanashini remains one of the few unpolluted rivers of
India, and its estuary is still productive of fish and shellfish, which
are harvested by Ambigas and Halakkis. However, a significant new
element has been added in the form of development of fish and
prawn cold storage and canning facilities coupled to the export of
prawns. This has considerably raised the value, especially of bigger
prawns, and has generated a vigorous commercial market. The two
trading castes of the region, Saraswats and Moslem traders, have
taken advantage of these new developments, and become active in
both trade and processing.
Uncultivated Lands
The level of harvest from these lands has been substantially
stepped up to meet the escalating needs of both industry and the
increasing rural population. The result of this nonsustainable use