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| Govt silent on 'rampant extraction' of forest produce, medicinal herbs | | For vote bank politics | | Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Feb 16: Notwithstanding official claims of forest preservation, there is no check on extraction of minor forest produce and medicinal plants in the state.
Minister for Forests Chowdhary Lal Singh made tall claims in the recently concluded Assembly that government was taking measures for protection of forests.
He said that department has retrieved 148339.40 kanal against 290126.82 kanal encroached forest land in Jammu division.
"Similarly the department retrieved 8553.60 kanal of 113852.78 kanal encroached forest land in Kashmir division," the Forest Minister has said.
However, there is no check on extraction of minor forest produce and medicinal plants in the state and smugglers have been given a free hand, sources said.
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. "Actually, a ruling party does not want to lose voters of few regions.
So that they have maintained silence and the smugglers are looting the medicinal herbs, and other forest produce," sources said.
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.
"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. Government has failed to keep a check on forest produce," 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.
"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 months," he said.
He said there are less than 200 plants of Nilkant, Jug Badshah available in this region and the extractors are destroying them all for their vested interests. |
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