How to steal forests?

India is fast losing her forests, thanks to her government. India’s deforestation rose from 384,000 hectares in the ten years between 1990 and 2000 to 668,000 hectares in five years between 2015 and 2020.

How do you get a few thousands of those hectares of forests? You have to be a friend of the central government, in the first place. Then you need to conjure up some developmental project like oil palm cultivation or ecotourism or something of the sort. That’s almost all. Quite simple.

On 4 Aug this year, the Modi government amended the Forest Conservation Act 1980 to make deforestation as easy as bulldozing the houses of certain people in Uttar Pradesh or Haryana. There is no Forest Conservation Act now. What Mr Modi has given the country in its place is Van [Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan] Adhiniyam. Quite a mouthful, isn’t it? Sounds exotic too. Only, it is – far from being exotic – toxic.

This new Adhiniyam [half of Indians won’t understand what that is] narrows the definition of ‘forests.’ Only those areas recorded by the government as forests on or after 25 Oct 1980 will have to abide by the new Adhiniyam. Moreover, the forest land changed from forest use to non-forest use on or before 12 Dec 1996 is also excluded from the new definition.

There are umpteen other exceptions provided in devious ways. For example, forest clearance is no more required for security-related projects in forests within 100 km of international borders. That sounds innocuous on paper. In effect, the entire forests of the Northeast India are now made available for deforestation. 

From Down To Earth

It’s not just for security-related projects. Environmental clearances are no more required for agroforestry plantations, zoo safari projects, and ecotourism.

Now consider a few simple facts and the connections between them and the new Adhiniyam.

The Manipur agitation started with the granting of ST status to the Meitei community. Why should this wealthy and powerful community now bother itself with ST status? This status will help them buy lands in the tribal areas of the Kukis and the Nagas. The Kukis are the present targets. The turn of the Nagas will come at the appropriate time. Your turn will come too. Wait. Decimation of the Christian Kuki population is the ultimate objective right now.

Let us move on to agroforestry. 967,981 hectares of land are marked for plantation of palm trees for oil production in Manipur. Most of these swathes of land belonging to the Kukis are to be transferred to the Adani Group. Driving away the Kukis, since they opposed the ST status to the Meiteis, is part of this game of transferring their land to the corporate bigwigs.

The new Adhiniyam is not going to stop with Manipur and its few tribals. It will soon threaten the existence of many forest-dwelling communities since the consent of the gram sabhas is not required anymore for grabbing the forests.

Move to Haryana from Manipur. That BJP-governed state is planning to make a zoo safari on about 4000 hectares in the Aravalli range in Gurugram and Nuh. Now join the dots between these places and the recent communal clashes there.

We can go on and on. But let’s take a break. And look at Imphal Nov 2004. The then Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, was in Imphal to dedicate the Kangla Fort to the people of Manipur by taking out the Assam Rifles battalions from there. Meiteis, Kukis, Nagas, Pangals, all had gathered at the Fort in peace and harmony to celebrate the occasion. Now, two decades later, these very same people are killing each other. And their Chief Minister manages to make some feeble sounds. The country’s Prime Minister boarded a flight for an exotic country where he preached cosmic fraternity. Kangla Park is now dirt and rubble.

Tailpiece: The Wire quotes the Greek media to inform us that Mr Modi’s recent visit to Greece was to broach port deals on behalf of the Adani Group.

PS. This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon

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