Despite High Court orders, Maha govt yet to finalise bamboo policy: Activists

Despite the Bombay High Court's direction to the Maharashtra government to expedite the process of finalising the draft policy on trade of bamboo, the authorities are yet to do so, activists have alleged.

Activists and stakeholders fighting for the rights to grow and trade bamboo without any restrictions, have alleged that 18 months after the court directed the government to expedite the process, the draft policy is yet to be finalised.

In March 2011, a division bench of Justices D D Sinha and A P Bhangale of the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court had asked the government to "expedite the process of finalising the draft policy," when the forest department pleaded that the draft policy framed in April 2007 was "under consideration of the state government."

 

This was in response to a PIL filed by Pratap Goswami, a Kisan Manch leader and bamboo entrepreneur, seeking de-notification of bamboo as forest produce, removing all restrictions and control of the forest and revenue departments.

"We do not propose to show any indulgence in the present petition at this stage and expect the state government to expedite the process of finalising the draft policy," said the High Court while turning down Goswami's petition as premature.

"Even four years after the process was initiated and 18 months after the High Court direction to expedite it, the draft is yet to be finalised. This means that the forest bureaucracy is only misleading the court by swearing on affidavit that the draft was being amended. Because till date they have done nothing in that direction," alleged Goswami.

When asked about the policy, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (policy and I-T)R R Sahay said, "In the last one year that I have been holding this charge, I have not heard anything about the policy. Apparently its lying with the ministry," he said.

Union Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan has now taken a proactive stance to liberate bamboo from the clutches of the forest monopoly. But bureaucrats are clearly reluctant to give up control.