The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Appeal to Prime Minister against Ministry's move on forestlands

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 27, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Appeal to Prime Minister against Ministry's move on forestlands

Proposal prepared following pressure from industries: NCPNR

Bangalore: The National Committee for Protection of Natural Resources (NCPNR) has appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ask the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests to drop the move of making "degraded" forestlands available to industries for captive plantations.

NCPNR has claimed that the Ministry prepared the proposal following pressure from industries through the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).

"The order is being passed for the fifth time and it will adversely affect the rural poor and tribal communities who are dependent on forests," said S.R. Hiremath, president NCPNR.

He also said industries were influencing the Government and taking over forestlands at throwaway prices.

Community forest management

He said there was a need to move toward community forest management system from the joint forest management system.

Movements over the last 20 years had defeated the repeated attempts of the industries in taking over forestlands, he said. Eminent persons such as late Shivaram Karanth, M.S. Swaminathan, Kuldip Nayar had always been a part of this protest. A series of workshops and meetings were being planned by NCPNR, Mr. Hiremath said.

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