TEAKWOOD SMUGGLING: DESTROYING THE FOREST TO SAVE IT

[Guest guest]

Link:

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main27.asp?filename=Ne240207Destroying_the.asp

 

TEAKWOOD SMUGGLING

DESTROYING THE FOREST TO SAVE IT

 

Naxals claim they protect the forests, but in Gadchiroli they have

enlisted the local tribal population for cutting and smuggling teakwood

 

Shashwat Gupta Ray

Gadchiroli

 

The Maoist movement (also referred to as the Naxal movement) espouses

the cause of protecting India's forest resources and the Indian tribal

population's rights over the forestland they inhabit. However,

contrary to these claims, Naxal groups in Maharashtra's Vidarbha

region are actively engaged in illegal felling of teak trees and in

inter-state teakwood smuggling. The Naxals have co-opted the local

tribal population in their illegal and environmentally damaging

activities.

 

Teakwood smuggling has been going on in the area since 1993-94, but,

until four years ago, it was sporadic and unorganised. Since then, the

volume of teak smuggled has gone up substantially. Government

authorities had long suspected that Naxals were involved in the

smuggling and this suspicion was confirmed after two consecutive

seizures of illegally obtained teakwood by joint teams of the forest

department and the Maharashtra police.

 

Teakwood worth Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 13.5 lakh was seized on December 22,

2006 and January 14, 2007 on the banks of the Godavari River along the

Maharashtra-Andhra Pradesh border. Those arrested during the seizures

admitted that Naxal groups, which operated on both sides of the

inter-state border, were involved.

 

DB Shrikhande, Deputy Conservator of Forest, Sironcha Division, south

Gadchiroli, has no doubt that Maoists are responsible for the rise in

smuggling. " Earlier, only a few villagers were involved. Now, with

support from the Maoists, all 20 villages located on the 50km-long

border are involved. They move in groups of 150 and are armed with

axes and saws — not just for cutting trees but also to retaliate

against attacks by forest guards. Many guards have been seriously

injured, " he says.

 

Teakwood smuggling is lucrative — depending upon the quality,

smugglers pay villagers Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per cubic metre of

teakwood. The rate can go up to Rs 10,000 per cubic metre. In the open

market, the price of teakwood varies from Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000 per

cubic metre. " The villagers get easy money, " says Shrikhande. " They

get at least Rs 200 per person from every tree they sell. Hence they

don't feel the need to work and earn. The entire operation is

encouraged by Naxals on both sides of the border. The Naxals are led

by Sagar and Anil, commanders of the Pratighatna Dalam and the Jan

Shakti Dalam respectively. The transaction takes place in villages in

Andhra Pradesh, mostly under the jurisdiction of the East Karimnagar

Division. "

 

The Maoists get a healthy cut. According to the anti-Naxal cell of the

police in Gadchiroli, for a 3.70 metre-long plank of teakwood, members

of the Pratighatna Dalam get Rs 200 each, those in the Jan Shakti

Dalam members get Rs 300 and those belonging to the People's War get

Rs 500.

 

Shrikhande says that the forest and police departments are fighting

against steep odds. " It is not possible for us to stop this on our

own. We are understaffed and under-armed. Though our night patrolling

party is able to locate them, we cannot apprehend them as they start

pelting stones at us. If we manage to come nearer, we are charged with

axes and saws, " he says.

 

Unless the government commits more resources to tackling the menace,

Shrikhande sees no end to the problem. " For the last two years, we

have been asking the state government for assistance from the SRPF

(State Reserve Police Force) and CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force).

Nothing has happened yet. All the seizures have been possible because

of police assistance. The law is not strong enough. Even after being

arrested in connection with teak smuggling, these Dalam leaders manage

to find loopholes and secure bail. Then they strike back with a

vengeance, " says Shrikhande.

 

The joint operations conducted by the forest and police departments

have not been able to prevent illegal felling of teak trees, but they

have been successful in seizing illegally felled teakwood. (see box)

Describing the modus operandi of the smugglers, Shirish Jain,

Superintendent of Police (SP), Gadchiroli, says that the felled trees

are first cleaned and cut to different sizes. They are then taken to

the bank of the Godavari in bullock carts, escorted by at least five

people. The Maharashtra side of the riverbank is elevated and the logs

are rolled down to the river after being unloaded. There they are

loaded on to fishing boats, and the fishermen are made to transport

them across the river.

 

In the January 14 seizure on the banks of the Godavari, Rs 50,000 in

cash was recovered from the arrested. This money was to be divided

among the villagers and the Naxals. As the seizure recovery figures

show, the fact that more teak has been recovered than was felled in

the Gadchiroli region indicates the success of the joint operations.

" We have also been able to seize Andhra-bound trees being smuggled in

from Chhattisgarh, " says Jain. " We are sure that the teak being

smuggled is from our forests because teak is grown only in our side.

There are no forests along the Godavari touching Andhra. "

 

While forest officials appreciate the assistance they get from the

police, they say that this is not a lasting solution. They point out

that the problem has been plaguing this region for a decade now. " As

early as 1994, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on teak smuggling

was filed in the High Court by Shobhatai Phadnavis, a known political

figure. She claimed that the forest department and the police were

unable to control the tree felling. The High Court ordered the

formation of a task force under the district collector. However the

force could not be established formally. We have managed to conduct

joint raids though, " says Jain. He agrees that the forest department

can't handle the problem without additional help. " They asked for SRPF

help. But it has not happened yet formally as the state has a limited

number of forces. Nor have they received cooperation from the Andhra

officers, who have not given the issue the importance it requires as

they don't have much forest to bother about, " he says.

 

According to Jain, the underlying causes of teak smuggling are

socio-economic in nature and, so, tackling it requires a broader

vision. " We have a great opportunity. The involvement of Naxals proves

that they have strayed from the original agenda of fighting for tribal

rights and land reforms. It is crude greed now. Extortion and

smuggling has become their mainstay. "

 

He says that winning the people over to the government's side is

important. " We have to tell the people that these Maoists are cheating

them. They are destroying the main source of people's livelihood. If

the tribals are made to realise this fact along with planned

development projects, they would certainly stop supporting the

Naxals, " Jain says.

 

Feb 24 , 2007