The Hindu : National/Elections 2004 : Conservation given short shrift in play for votes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 04, 2004

National

National - Elections 2004

Conservation given short shrift in play for votes

The changes in forest land regulation, made with an eye on the vote bank, are a serious environmental threat, writes Lyla Bavadam

When Ramesh Bais took over the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) late last year he claimed he knew all about how to get clearances from the MoEF. Not a surprising comment, since he had just relinquished his post as Minister for Mines. Bais was as good as his word. Prior to a caretaker Government stepping in he went on a clearing spree, diluting the Forest (Conservation) Act (FCA) and endorsing projects pending with the MoEF in a manner that many saw as a determined play for votes. One source estimated that 100 Lok Sabha seats would be affected due to the order of the MoEF and claimed that, "the direction to issue the order came directly from the PMO."

Bittu Sahgal, Editor, Sanctuary magazine, estimates that "anywhere from 500,000 to one million hectares of forest lands could be affected [by the new order]. This spells local extinction for an uncounted number of species and widespread degradation of ecologically fragile habitats, including crucial watersheds."

At the top of the list is the Human dam in Maharashtra. Its construction would submerge several villages and destroy the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve. Another project to have received sanction is the Bodhghat hydel project across the River Indravati in Chhattisgarh. Bodhghat was first proposed in 1983 but was halted when Baba Amte objected to the proposed submergence of 100 villages and 5,704 hectares (ha) of forest land. However, when attention was focused away from this project on to the controversial Inchampalli river project, the Government cleared the Bodhghat project.

Furthermore, the MoEF has permitted the conversion of more than 1,68,840.291 hectares of "forest" into "revenue land" and had decided to divert 11,285.127 hectares of forest land into revenue villages in Madhya Pradesh.

A similar decision was taken to divert 14,539 hectares of forest land for re-location of tribals in Tripura.

The most serious attack on the environment by the Minister was the attempt to dilute the FCA, 1980. The FCA has been crucial to saving the country's forests. While 43.2 lakh hectares of forest land were lost between 1950 and 1980, only 0.25 lakh hectares have been lost per year after the enactment of the FCA.

The FCA is invariably targeted during elections. The Act says, "No State Government can deviate forest land for non-forestry purposes." This meant that if Adivasi land had to be regularised, the State Government had to approach the Centre.

However, an order issued in February by the MoEF tried to change this procedure. First, the letter ordered all tribal rights on forest land to be regularised. This is an issue that has been pending since 1990. That it suddenly gets `resolved' in an election year is no coincidence. Second, the initial cut-off date to regularise encroachments was 1980. The new order extends the date to 1993. This, despite a Supreme Court order disallowing regularisation of such land till the dispute is settled.

And third, Bais' ministry granted more powers to State Governments allowing them to decide on forest clearance of projects using up to 40 hectares of forest land. Bais said that up to 90 per cent of the projects that were earlier cleared by the Centre, would now be cleared by the States.

However, recognising that the changes made by the MoEF were an election gambit and a violation of its existing orders, the Supreme Court stayed all the new orders of the MoEF.

The environment has never been a priority with any political party but conservationists are more apprehensive of the BJP than of the Congress. Since the two strong laws that protect the environment — the WPA and the FCA — are a result of Indira Gandhi's efforts, the Congress is forced to tread carefully on environmental issues. No such allegiances bind the BJP, which has on numerous occasions said that environmental laws are a hindrance to development. Conservationists fear that the BJP will amend both Acts if it comes back to power. But while fishing for votes, the Government is missing out on a crucial factor. The MoEF's order will have serious repercussions on the economies of regions. For instance, more than a 100 rivers have their source in the forests of central India. All water needs including irrigation of this entire region — which includes four states — is dependent on these rivers. Destroying the forests is tantamount to destabilising the regional economy, which depends heavily on the natural wealth of central India.

The same principle applies to the rest of the country. Bais' attempt to turn forest land into revenue land will ultimately damage the economy not only of a region but also of surrounding areas.