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 purchased from OFDC. Similarly, long-term lease agreements, a major demand of paper mills, were not signed although the RMP system continued for several years 8 . Revival of the cutting operations The plight of bamboo cutters had been discussed in the state legislative assembly and the government always tried to emphasise that it was due to the restriction of the Central Government that the operations could not be started. In December 2003, the then forest minister of Orissa said in the legislative assembly that although tenders had been invited for bamboo working in forest divisions having valid working plans, operations could not be resumed as the Central Government asked for certain clarifications. He further assured the house that the required clarifications had been submitted, and hence operations would be resumed (The Samaj,19-12-03, p.9). In 2004, several new developments coincided each other facilitating revival of the bamboo cutting operations. On 5 th February that year, the govt requested Mr.Vinod Kumar,IFS, then Director(Operations), OFDC to prepare a scheme for working out bamboo overlapping circles of the forest divisions where working plans had expired. Accordingly Mr. Kumar prepared a consolidated Working Scheme for the concerned forest divisions and submitted the same on 30 th April’04. This scheme was valid for 2004-05 to 2007-08 so that bamboo coupes can be worked out on the basis of a 4-year cycle. On 28-7-04 the state government requested the Central CCF, Ministry of Env. & Forest, Govt of India to approve this working scheme. Although the Ministry was not satisfied with the said document, still on 27th August it allowed bamboo working on condition of the following: • The approval would be valid upto 30th April'05. • Adequate measures should be taken to ensure conservation and sustainable exploitation of bamboo clumps. • The approval would be extended for another year provided the state government furnished baseline data on treatment types(A,B,C) and quality classes(I,II,III) 9 that was lacking in the working scheme and was vital for consideration for approval of the scheme. 8 The GM, JK Crops(Bhubaneswar office) wrote to the MD, OFDC on 16-9-1997 to implement the long-term lease agreement for 12 years as was originally mentioned in the govt order of 8.10.1993. 9 Type A and B have well-stocked clumps, but whereas in 'A' the clumps are healthy, in 'B' they are partially damaged (burnt, etc.) or degraded. Accordingly, it is decided whether commercial operations can be allowed, and if so, then to what extent. For instance, type C implies to clumps in such a condition that commercial exploitation is not allowed therein. As regards quality classes, class III contains culms below 6 metre in height as against those between 6 to 9 m. in class II and 9 m or above in class I. Minimum number of culms to be retained in three different quality classes of clumps are fixed in the Working Plans(Singh B., Revised Working Plan for the RFs and DPFs of Angul Forest Divn.:1990-91 to 1999-2000, pp.546-47). 27
All rights reserved by VASUNDHARA(www.vasundharaorissa.org). For any clarification, contact author at sunlit1968@yahoo.co.in The state government failed to furnish data on treatment types, etc. in due time, and requested for more time; hence the approval was extended upto 30th June'05. On 20th September 2004, the PCCF issued a letter to the concerned forest officers under him to prepare for working of bamboo coupes in various forest divisions of the state excluding sanctuaries/National Parks. The areas for cutting operations were identified as follows: Forest/Wildlife Divisions where operations were to be carried out as per the respective Working Plans Athamallik Bamra WL Bonai Deogarh Ghumsur North & South Kalahandi North & South Rourkela(part transferred from Bonai Divn.) Forest/Wildlife Divisions where operations were to be carried out as per the Consolidated Working Scheme Angul Athagarh Balliguda Bargarh Berhampur Bolangir(East & West) Boudh Dhenkanal Ghumsur South(part transferred from Parlakhemundi Divn) Jeypore Khariar Khurdha Koraput Malkangiri Nayagarh Parlakhemundi Phulbani Rairakhol Rayagada Rourkela(part transferred from Sundargarh Divn.) Sambalpur(North & South) Sundargarh Continuation of the RMP system was a matter of concern since many years. Many govt officials were not in favour of continuing this system further, and the PCCF even officially recommended in July 2002 that this should be discontinued and that OFDC should be entrusted with full responsibility in bamboo working. On the other hand, BILT had also expressed interest to work directly under the Forest Department (like the system in AP), and not as an RMP under OFDC. However, considering the interest all the stakeholders(including cutters), and given the fact that OFDC could hardly afford the huge investment necessary for bamboo-working; the Empowered Committee on bamboo recommended for appointment of M/S. J.K. Paper and M/S. Ballarpur Industries Ltd. as RMPs under OFDC ‘on firm and written agreement basis’. J.K.Paper was allotted 16 forest 28
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