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| Forest smugglers destroying rare plant species | | Officials question lifting of ban on extraction of minor forest produce | |
Saqib Ahmad
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Dec 23: The lifting of ban on the extraction of minor forest produce and medicinal plants from the forests has encouraged the smugglers to loot the forest resources and officials of the department are demanding re-imposition of the ban.
Sources within the Forest Department said the government took the decision of lifting ban on extraction of forest produce in 2013 ahead of elections under the pressure of herb-extraction smugglers. Official sources said extractors have managed herb processing units in J&K especially in Doda and Kishtwar regions of the Jammu region.
The ban on extraction of plant species was imposed in 2005 after experts suggested to the government that most of the herbs and other minor forest produce were at the verge of "extinction" and extraction of forest resources was going on unabated.
When ban was lifted in 2013, former minister for Forest Mian Altaf Ahmad had said that government has lifted ban on the extraction of minor forest produce from the demarcated forests of the state for all those species, which are not included in the schedule VI of Jammu and Kashmir Wild Life Protection Act-1978.
Even during imposition of the ban, there were reports that smugglers were extracting medicinal herbs and other plant species from the forests.
"Lifting of ban has created havoc of forests. They extractors don't know the value of forest products and uproot them without caring for their sustainable development just for the peanuts," a senior official of forest department said.
He said a survey had also been conducted and it came to fore that few medicinal plants (Joeg Badshah, Nilkent, Patras, Kahzabaan) have almost vanished due to its extraction by smugglers.
He said the layman doesn't know the value of these plant species and are least bothered about their sustainable development.
He claimed that eco-system of forests has been disturbed by such decisions and has encouraged the forest smugglers. However, he suggested that government should impart training to the people residing near forests how to cultivate medicinal plants in their land and should give them some incentives for that, "which would stop unabated loot of forest resources".
"The smuggling was going on behind curtains. Few medicines plants are only found in Himalayas and giving free hand to extractors will destroy them within days," he said.
He said there are less than 200 plants of Nilkant, Jug Badshah available in this region and the extractors will destroy them all for their vested interests.
There are reports that in absence of effective monitoring, smuggling of forest resources was going on unabated in the Valley.
An environmentalist said nobody paid any heed towards their requests over the years for the preservation of forests. "The government has been allowing the outsiders to loot our forests just for peanuts," he said.
He claimed that government wants to woo voters of a particular community in the forthcoming elections by such decisions. |
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