Bamboo in Orissa: Trade and Livelihood Perspective - Vasundhara

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All the unions/federations have reacted strongly against the suspension of bamboo cutting
operations, and have demanded for revival of such operations in the interest of the cutters
and other associated people. The leaders of Rayat Kuli Sangha and Bamboo Cutters’
Mazdoor Union threatened in October 2003 that transportation of raw materials to JK
Paper would be blocked if the govt did not take steps to revive the cutting operations (The
Statesman,Orissa page,13-10-03).The Bamboo Forest Employees Union Federation has
gone a step ahead and is in support of the demand of the RMPs that no staff of OFDC
would be incorporated in the system(RMP) to be adopted in 2004-05, and that the RMPs
would exercise 100% control over the operations(per comm.., Ramachandra Bakshipatra).
The artisans have no unions for them, hence their plight is hardly highlighted in the media,
or noticed by the concerned authorities. Laxman Nayak, an enthusiastic artisan of Boud
who tried to unite his fellow artisans under the banner of Maa Mangala Beta Baunsha
Samabaya Samiti, a cooperative society of artisans, struggled hard for getting permission
from the Forest Department to take salia bamboo from the forest and spent a lot of money
from his own pocket for this purpose. The Forest Department tried to partially solve the
problem of these people by imposing a penalty of Rs.3 per piece collected by them from
the forest, instead of confiscating the same(The Samaj,9-9-04, p.4).
Even the bamboo-traders struggled for justice. For long bamboo supplied from Khunta-
Udala area, the landing price at Bhubaneswar/Cuttack was about Rs.30000, more than 25%
of which was spent on bribes demanded by police, forest officials, or some other govt staff.
The demand of bribe had no consistency and it varied from person to person(demanding
side) and case to case, thus creating a lot of uncertainty and tension. The lacuna on the part
of the traders was that the trucks were dangerously overloaded with a portion of the load
hanging down from behind and rubbing against the road, and hence were prone to causing
some accidents on road. The suppliers of Mayurbhanj district tried to form a union of their
own and approached the local police chief for intervention who in turn assured them that
his staff would no more be demanding bribe, but at the same time he said that since the
trucks were overloaded hence legal case would be filed against the suppliers. Accordingly,
some trucks were confiscated which created another problem for the suppliers. Hence they
had no option but to go back to the old system of bribing. Although they propose that the
govt can save them from this unholy arrangement in a profitable way by legalising the
transit through imposition of additional charges in the form of tax/penalty, etc.; but this
proposal is yet to be accepted(per comm.., Ravi Rout).In fact, the union itself could not
take a formal shape due to want of support.
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