The Hindu : Kerala News : Demand to promulgate sandal Ordinance

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Sunday, Feb 20, 2005

Kerala

Kerala

Demand to promulgate sandal Ordinance

By G. Prabhakaran

PALAKKAD, FEB.19 . Political parties, environmental organisations and Forest officials have urged the Government to bring in an Ordinance as a Bill in the Assembly to protect the Marayur sandal forest, by preventing smuggling of sandal for oil extraction.

The former Chittur MLA and Janata Dal(Secular) secretary-general, K. Krishnankutty, who was one of the key persons responsible for bringing in the Kerala Forest (Amendment) Ordinance, 1999 during the previous LDF rule, told The Hindu that the Ordinance had received the President's approval during the fag end of the LDF rule. As Assembly elections were declared then, the LDF could not promulgate the Ordinance.

Environment groups, `One Earth on Life,' Bharathapuzha Samrakshana Samiti and Jana Jagratha, which had approached various courts with the plea to close down illegal sandal oil factories, have also appealed to the Government to bring in legislation to put an end to smuggling of sandalwood.

The Conservator of Forest, Eastern Circle, Amarnath Shetty, said the proposed Ordinance could control illegal sandal trade in the State. According to the proposed law, possession of sandal more than 2 kg is an offence. Officials do not have to enquire about the source of the material unlike under the present law. The offender is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than three years that may extend up to seven years with a fine of Rs.25,000. There is also restriction on cutting sandalwood from private land. Processing and distillation are to be done only by the Government and no private sandal factory could function under the provisions of the Ordinance. The powdering of sandalwood is also banned, Mr. Shetty said.

It is widely felt that the proposed Ordinance, if made operational, would curb smuggling of sandalwood and illegal oil extraction in factories in Palakkad and other parts of the State.

Mr. Krishnankutty said the UDF Government had delayed promulgation of the Ordinance for three years. It has been sent again to the President for assent, he said.

Charge

If the Government has the political will to control the `sandal mafia,' it should make the Ordinance a Bill. It can get the support of the Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) as the original Ordinance had been introduced by it. He said the huge profits earned from sandal oil business, running to Rs.100 crores annually, was the reason for the political clout enjoyed by the `sandal mafia'.

He said the Ordinance brought the entire sandal operations under the control of the Government, including sandal oil extraction factories. It says: "no person except the Government shall disintegrate or attempt to disintegrate sandalwood in mills, manufacture or distil, or attempt to manufacture or distil oil from sandalwood, or redistill, refine or sell oil extracted from sandalwood."

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