A government order issued over two months ago revising the list of trees exempted from Telangana Forest Produce Transit Rules has sparked consternation among forest lovers.
The order, made public on Wednesday, increases the number of tree species mentioned in Schedule II of the Telangana Forest Produce Transit Rules, 1970, from 20 to 40, excluding some species from the earlier order. As per the Telangana Forest Act, 1967, the State can amend the list from time to time.
The tree species mentioned in the Schedule II will be exempted from transit regulation by the Forest department, making their transportation hassle-free. The exemption, however, does not exonerate felling of trees from within the reserve forests and protected sanctuaries.
The latest list excludes ‘Vepa’/Neem (Azadirachta indica), and ‘Neredu’/‘Jamun’ (Syzigium cuminii), but includes species such as Bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus), ‘Gummadi Teak’ (Gmelina arborea), and ‘Kanuga’ (Pongamia pinnata).
Under threat
Activists believe the exempted species, masqueraded as produce from revenue area, are being freely smuggled out of forests. Inclusion of more species will only give a free hand to the smugglers and strip the forests of greenery, they fear.
Of special concern is inclusion of bamboo in all revenue districts. Earlier, it was exempted in Nellore and Guntur districts where it was grown by farmers.
“This is a headless decision. Forest areas in seven erstwhile districts of Telangana have high growth of bamboo. Farmers scarcely grow the species. With this order, all bamboo will disappear from the forests,” fumes a retired forest official, who worked in former Adilabad and Khammam districts.
Bamboo has high commercial value for its use in furniture making, centring and scaffolding in construction activities, while ‘Gummadi Teak’ is valued for its sturdy wood. Pongamia grows extensively in open lands in many districts, but none of it is grown by farmers. Inclusion of species such as eucalyptus can be understood as it is widely planted on private plots.
If the government intended to boost bamboo farming, it should have first encouraged farmers to plant it, he says. Bamboo takes six years to grow before it can be reaped annually.
“When the ‘jamun’ trees were exempted earlier, the species otherwise abundant in forests disappeared fast. The same will happen to bamboo and other species,” the official says.
MP model
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests P.K.Jha, in his response, cited a demi official letter from the Centre, which listed 54 tree species for exemption, directly adopted from Madhya Pradesh. Of those, the species predominantly existing in Telangana forests have been excluded from the list, he maintained, and said the Centre sought to exempt bamboo so that farmers can grow it for its commercial value.
