Forest Produce Sales Committee to auction, sell tendu leaves

The committee's chairman and former MLA Hiraman Warkhede as well as advisor of the committee Virendra Kumar Anand told reporters that the Committee will exercise its legal right under the Forest Rights Act and will seal legal recourse if needed.

The committee has already published tender notices for advance sale of tendu leaves for the 2013 season recently.

However, forest department authorities had published a public notice in some newspapers recently, taking strong objection to tender notices published by the committee and warning individuals, organisations and NGOs which enter forest areas unauthorisedly to collect tendu leaves with legal action.

The forest department also warned contractors engaged in purchasing tendu leaves from private persons or organisations that the responsibilty of such deals would lie solely with them.

Making the committee's stand clear, Warkhede who has been working for forest rights for several years, said that as per the Forest Rights Act disposal of minor forest produce has been defined as processing, storage, value addition, transport within and outside forest areas through appropriate means of transportation for use of such produce.

"We are merely exercising our right as per the law and nobody can stop us from doing so. We will go ahead with our plan and will collect tendu leaves from forest areas from 120 villages spread in 16 over forest units," he said. (MORE)