Bamboo in Orissa: Trade and Livelihood Perspective - Vasundhara

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All rights reserved by VASUNDHARA(www.vasundharaorissa.org). For any clarification, contact author at sunlit1968@yahoo.co.in principle the mills are bound to take bamboo from Orissa as they themselves had committed to that while establishing their units in this state. The officers also opine that we must learn from Chhattisgarh which once stopped import of timber from other states till its stock got exhausted 4 , and that our govt should ban entry of bamboo from other states till our own stock gets exhausted. Political decisions have in a way forced OFDC suffer huge financial losses. The nationalisation mahua flower in early ‘90s is said to have broken the backbone of OFDC’s financial strength. Soon after nationalisation the Corporation authorities had to face the non-committal attitude of the paper mills which intentionally avoided lifting of some of the stock meant for their use, hence the Corporation not only had Position of unlifted IB in OFDC depots, during 1990-91 to 1999-2000 Unlifted bamboo in SU 20000 18000 16000 14000 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 1990-91 1991-92 1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999- 2000 Year to create interim depots to accommodate the surplus bamboo, but had to reduce its production in view of that. The authorities found the paper mills so unreliable that they even advised the govt for all India tender so that the paper mills of the state would lose ground for their blackmailing power. However, this recommendation was implemented only in 2002-03 when it was too late. Policy change in 2000 In 2000 the government decided to bring all the concerned operations(except those in the Kalahandi Divn) under the direct control of OFDC. However, it was too late by then. The paper mills were not satisfied with the production and price of bamboo in the state and had therefore started making arrangement for other viable alternatives. Hence, atleast some of 4 The huge stock was reportedly created after the Forest Department was forced to cut down a large number of trees affected by borers(). 17
All rights reserved by VASUNDHARA(www.vasundharaorissa.org). For any clarification, contact author at sunlit1968@yahoo.co.in them(like M/S. J.K.Paper) were no more critically dependant on the Orissa bamboo. With the change in policy in 2000 they appeared to be not in a mood to depend on OFDC (based on Saxena, op.cit., p.15). During 2000-01, the bamboo coupes in the Kalahandi Forest Division were worked out by the M/S. Ballarpur Industries Ltd.(BILT). In other areas, there was no harvesting by the RMPs. The suspension of bamboo cutting operations While non-lifting of bamboo by the paper mills was creating a problem for OFDC, expiry of the Working Plans turned out to be another major issue for the Forest Department. The Hon'ble Supreme Court had issued a directive that bamboo working would not be allowed in the absence of an approved Working Plan. By the end of 1990s the Working Plans of most of the concerned Forest Divisions were on the verge of expiry. After the moratorium imposed by the apex court on the felling of green timber, many in the Forest Department saw no use of preparing new Working Plans simple because such Plans were meant more for timber than for bamboo. Further, a new version of preparing WPs had been introduced which required intensive, costly, and time-consuming field work so as to incorporate various scientific details; and the Forest Department lacked adequate financial- and staff strength etc. to take up this challenge. Hence, bamboo working had to be suspended in most of the concerned Forest Divisions of the state after 1999. The Department failed several times to submit the required WPs to the Chief Conservator of Forests(better known as Central CCF) appointed by the Central Govt, for his approval. The Central CCF however, on request by the Department, allowed one-year extension to few Plans as a result of which OFDC could resume cutting operations in the concerned Divisions during 2003-04. 'Since the Forest Department's negligence in submitting working plans to the Central Government was the major reason behind the non-working of coupes, a public interest litigation was filed in the Supreme Court praying for an intervention of the Hon'ble Court in this matter. The Hon'ble Court then asked the state government in May 2002 to file an affidavit in this regard which the latter failed to submit, whereas in the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh the government could resume cutting operations through such kind of affidavit(The Pragatibadi,4-9-03 5 )' that justified that bamboo working in their state would not be violate the decision of the court(per comm., R. Bakshipatra). Interestingly, what the state government was required to do was to have valid working plans only, and there was no need to submit the same for approval of the Central CCF since bamboo was not timber/tree in the strict sense, and permission of the latter was required only in case of timber/tree felling from forest lands. Hence, waiting for the approval of the Central CCF was just a waste of time. In fact, few states like Tamilnadu did not care for the permission of Central CCF once they had valid working plans. 5 Details of this public interest litigation however could not be available from any source although another newspaper report in the Sambad(9-7-04) has also referred to it. 18
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Bamboo in Orissa: Trade and Livelihood Perspective - Vasundhara

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