Two Forest
Officials killed by Red sanders Smugglers
It is unfortunate that two forest
protection staff are killed by Red sanders smugglers in Seshachalam hills, near
Tirupati.It is well known fact that Red Sanders wood (RS wood) is mostly
endemic to Andhra Pradesh and parts of Tamil Nadu and occurs in the Seshachalam
hills spread over the districts of Chittoor,Nellore, YSR Kadapa districts.As
one tonne of forest grown RS wood is getting few lakhs of rupees in the
international market, in these days of recession it is lucrative as with few
thousands of expenses few lakhs can be obtained. Persons from Tamil Nadu come
to Tirupati and surrounding areas as pilgrims in tourist buses and enter the
forests to cut and fell, debark the RS wood.As soon as the wood is ready it is
either transported immediately in trucks or hidden so that it can be taken at
appropriate time.
The attention now got by the sacrifice
of the forest staff should be utilized to impress the Government that Forest
Protection is linked with LAW AND ORDER problem and it cannot be done by forest
staff alone, hence sister departments should also be involved.
The following are some measures that
can be thought of in this regard:
1.
Forest
staff should not venture into forest without sufficient staff and weapons, as
well as back up staff. A TREE CAN BE GROWN AGAIN BUT A LIFE LOST CANNOT BE
BROUGHT BACK.
2.
Forest
staff of all cadres should be issued small arms. There are already Government
orders issued in the year 1991 in Andhra Pradesh which empowers a Forest
Officer to use fire arm to the extent of killing a person, and Forest Officer
cannot be arrested without a Magisterial enquiry.
3.
To
decrease the smuggling steps should be taken to flood the market with legal
material.A.P.Forest Department is having about 11,000 tonnes of seized RSwood
in godowns. It should be sold in open auction so that interested parties can
freely purchase and use in India. Example of Gold Control Act is relevant as
once the controls on Gold purchase are removed, the smuggling of Gold has come
down drastically.
4.
A
protection force on the lines of Railway Protection Force should be raised
exclusively to protect the forest wealth. The FOREST PROTECTION FORCE should
consist of mainly with ex-servicemen so that no further training is required in
use of weapons. The use of ex-servicemen is being done in Delhi quite
effectively and such example should be emulated.
5.
Services
of Police Officers should be taken on DEPUTATION to Forest Department. Few
years ago one DIG of Police was on deputation to A.P.Forest Department to
co-ordinate with Forest and Police staff. The DIG of Police with sufficient
field staff is essential as they can share the intelligence gathering from the
regular Police, which is otherwise not shared by Police with Forest Officials.
6.
The
gathering of smugglers in forest areas does not happen in minutes, so enough
number of informers should be employed at all strategic locations so that their
entry is noted and remedial action can be planned effectively.
7.
The
use of satellite imagery should be increased to track the smugglers or the
ingress or egress etc. Use of Unmanned air Vehicle(UAV) available now should be
used, though it is costly to engage, so that persons sitting in far off place
can see visually the movement of smugglers in real time, and plan measures to
apprehend the smugglers.
8.
All
the forest staff, permanent and temporary as well as persons from general
public who assist the protection staff should be sufficiently insured so that
immediate financial help is assured to the bereaved families, as the promised
relief package takes time in Government
due to usual delays. The bereaved families should not go round the offices to
obtain promised financial assistance or the promised job to one of the family
member.
9.
The
Andhra Pradesh Forest Act,1967 analogous to the archaic Indian Forest Act,1927
is outdated as they do not have deterrent provisions, on lines of Wild Life
(Protection) Act,1972. Proposals were submitted years ago to Government to
amend the A.P.Forest Act but they are not proceeded further. An Ordinance was
also drafted and submitted but it is also under process in Government. With the existing legal provisions, a forest
offender when produced in a Court can get bail in minutes! As the forest
offences are bailable and Magistrate has to inform the offender whether he
desires to go on bail! The Forest Offences should be made non-bailable by
increasing the period of imprisonment to more than three years. All Offences,
generally, with more than three years period of imprisonment are non-bailable.
10.
Apart
from Timber smuggling the Forest laws are ineffective to deal with
encroachment. The Forest (Conservation)Act,1980 regulates the controlled
encroachment by different agencies. With the implementation of Forest Rights
Act, the encroachment is rampant, especially in Andhra Pradesh which has
distinction of handing over 14 lakh acres of Forest land at the request of one
Chief Minister. Persons are freely encroaching and courting arrest so that
their future claims can be made using the forest offence records. In Andhra
Pradesh few thousand acres of encroachment by Government in pre-1980 period,
and second phase is with RoFR Act, and hence people encouraged to wait third
phase of forest land distribution!
LET US MAKE ENOUGH NOISE SO THAT THE
POLICY MAKERS AND LAW MAKERS HEAR THE VOICE OF FORESTER THAT FOREST AND FOREST
LAND IS DISAPPEARING FAST AND IT HAS TO BE CONTROLLED ON WAR FOOTING.
The Impact of Climate Change studied
by UN Scientific panel on existing and future risks to Asia from Climate Change
(as reported in the English Daily THE HINDU dated 15.12.2013 at page 10) and
they are
a) 50% reduction
in agricultural yields
b) More frequent
and intense heat waves
c) Increases in
heavy rain and temperature which will increase the communicable diseases
d) Green houses
gases will dry up the water resources.
FORESTS ARE TO BE PRESERVED IN THE
INTEREST OF BETTER FUTURE FOR MANKIND AND ANY INVESTMENT IN FOREST SECTOR IS
LIKE A FIXED DEPOSIT WHICH ENSURES
MULTIFOLD BENEFIT TO FUTURE GENERATIONS.
WE,FORESTERS, SHOULD GEAR UP AND DO
THE NEEDFUL TO CONSERVE THE FORESTS AND PROTECT THE FOREST WEALTH AND FOREST
LAND.
KISHAN (AP-90)
8978797966
