May I dwell in the forest?

The UPA government seems to believe that private ownership of national forests must rest with 8 per cent of Indian citizens. Is this part of the economic restructuring that was begun a decade ago? Anyone who has raised questions on the validity of this draft bill is being branded babalog, elitist or royalist. That, alas, is the pathetic response — rather, retort — from the proponents of this draft, who appear intellectually inadequate to debate the issue. They do not want to hear, let alone listen to, any opposing view. These are shades of a “fascist” mindset. Why otherwise would they reduce the dialogue to class abuse? “Tribals or tigers” is their hysterical cry. But, they have conveniently forgotten that there are those who believe both are essential.

Tigers are already a species of the past. Another decade and we shall only see them in zoos around the world. We have deftly decimated the cheetahs, we skillfully killed off the Indian lion, and we have successfully brought tigers to near extinction. We should be proud of ourselves for having achieved a world record in the destruction of all that should have been nurtured and preserved, loved and cared for. We have destroyed our cities and towns, all of which are mired in filth, governed by corrupt and extortionist municipalities; we have degraded all habitats; we have contaminated our “holy” rivers starting with the Ganga; we have poisoned our drinking water; we have torn apart our culture, languages, values, ethics; we condone corruption; we have desecrated our historical monuments, our manmade legacies; we allow the authority that rules us, at our behest, to divide us, to label us, to exploit us, to damn us. We have abused our national pledge, satya mev jayati.

The proposed Scheduled Tribes, Recognition of Forest Rights Bill will hand over an exchequer of approximately thirty four lakh crores (if you can put the zeroes to it) of national wealth to the private ownership of 8 per cent of the population of the Union of India. This will lead to unimaginable and unparalleled civil strife, to put it mildly, between the beneficiaries and the non-beneficiaries along the fringes of forest areas. It does not require much acumen to comprehend the brutal and destructive repercussions. To add to the impending horror, there will be no ban on tree felling — the gram sabha will have the authority to impose a fine of Rs 1,000 per tree felled if they choose to! Which caste leads the gram sabha? Are they all squeaky clean or buyable? Happy days for the timber mafia — coming soon, cheap product, virtually free! The other great attraction for the land developers is the ability they will have to buy hitherto protected forests — it’s all going to free up! The gram sabhas will be empowered to determine and decide rights including the ownership of land. This is a perfect structure for the exploitation of the national resource of India by land and timber “merchants”.

If only this government was as committed to providing potable water, health and education within the framework of a civil society operated by honest administrators. Rampant corruption and extortion, mal-functioning of administrations, is what dominates our lives today across the many divides, social and economic. The correctives to be made at those fundamental levels are neither being debated nor “pushed through” as is this tribal bill. Why? Are those issues tough to address and even tougher to deliver? Is it that the fruits of serious correctives will not be seen in the next few years, before the next election, and therefore are not a “priority”? Are quick political returns the only motivation?

As the attack builds and gains momentum, two things can happen. National parks and sanctuaries will be removed from the purview of land to the tribals. This will be another fraud, an eye wash, a dangerous game. All forests have to remain protected under the existing acts. It is interesting that the UPA, with the Congress as the single largest component of this coalition led by Dr Manmohan Singh, is on the verge of dismantling all the forest and wildlife protection acts that were heralded by Indira Gandhi and fiercely protected by her and Rajiv Gandhi. They understood the utmost importance of forest cover for scientific environmental reasons, for preserving and enhancing water catchment areas. If the draft bill goes through and becomes an act, this Congress-led government will be singularly responsible for the desertification, disease and brutal civil strife that will invade our patient, exploited polity.

To damn and ignore the opposing voices, to label them in class terms, to dismiss them, smacks of intellectual insecurity and a fear of debate. Dangerous.