'religion of love and land-grabbing' in action
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: R
LDF, UDF shielding land grabbers
Wednesday January 4 2006 10:57 IST
IDUKKI: The Cardamom Hill Reserve is a victim of the bipolar politics of the state. The CPM-led LDF and the Congress-dominated UDF, which have ruled the state in alternate terms since 1970, have enacted many laws and amended existing ones to protect forests, including the CHR.
But the laws are never implemented because the coalition partner which claims to be the champion of settlers' causes shoots down any move that will restrict the 'rights' of settlers.
No government wants to force the issue for fear of antagonising the settlers who constitute a decisive vote bank.
Shockingly, it is not the settlers but the land grabbers who benefit from the government inaction.
They continue to encroach on CHR land under the provisions of the Land Conservancy Act and Rules for Lease of the Government Land for Cardamom Cultivation 1961 despite the enactment of the Forest (Conservation) Act by Parliament in 1980.
First, they encroach on the CHR land and when they get booked under the provisions of the Land Conservancy Act pay a meagre fine.
This entitles them to hold the encroached land under the Rules for Lease of the Government Land for Cardamom Cultivation which states: 'Land in the possession of encroachers who have cultivated the same with cardamom may be leased to them, without auction, for a period of 20 years.'
Further, under the rule, the encroacher is free to fell trees or undergrowth except teak, ebony, black wood (rosewood) or sandalwood without the prior permission of the Revenue Division Officer.
The dual control of Revenue and Forest Departments over the Cardamom Hill Reserve opens the door wider for the encroachers.
The system was first introduced by the Travancore Government in 1903 to streamline revenue collection from the cardamom crop.
Till the enactment of Rule of Lease of the Government Land for Cardamom Cultivation in 1961, the Forest Department controlled non-forest activities in the CHR.
The new rule has stripped the Forest Department of almost all power and given enormous jurisdiction to the Revenue Department.
It authorises the Revenue Divisional Officer, Devikulam, to conduct all business related to the cardamom lease in the assignable area of the CHR.
Unlike Forest personnel, Revenue staff are mostly confined to their offices and have practically no idea whether any violation of the Rule is taking place. Statistics show that land grabbing in the CHR has been rampant during the UDF rule.
Though all LDF governments vowed stern action against land grabbers, they did nothing to clip the wings of encroachers.
In the last 300 years, the Cardamom Hill Reserve has seen many confrontations and struggles. But the damage inflicted on the region by human interference in 250 years is less than the harm caused by land grabbers in the last 50 years.
But the laws are never implemented because the coalition partner which claims to be the champion of settlers' causes shoots down any move that will restrict the 'rights' of settlers.
No government wants to force the issue for fear of antagonising the settlers who constitute a decisive vote bank.
Shockingly, it is not the settlers but the land grabbers who benefit from the government inaction.
They continue to encroach on CHR land under the provisions of the Land Conservancy Act and Rules for Lease of the Government Land for Cardamom Cultivation 1961 despite the enactment of the Forest (Conservation) Act by Parliament in 1980.
First, they encroach on the CHR land and when they get booked under the provisions of the Land Conservancy Act pay a meagre fine.
This entitles them to hold the encroached land under the Rules for Lease of the Government Land for Cardamom Cultivation which states: 'Land in the possession of encroachers who have cultivated the same with cardamom may be leased to them, without auction, for a period of 20 years.'
Further, under the rule, the encroacher is free to fell trees or undergrowth except teak, ebony, black wood (rosewood) or sandalwood without the prior permission of the Revenue Division Officer.
The dual control of Revenue and Forest Departments over the Cardamom Hill Reserve opens the door wider for the encroachers.
The system was first introduced by the Travancore Government in 1903 to streamline revenue collection from the cardamom crop.
Till the enactment of Rule of Lease of the Government Land for Cardamom Cultivation in 1961, the Forest Department controlled non-forest activities in the CHR.
The new rule has stripped the Forest Department of almost all power and given enormous jurisdiction to the Revenue Department.
It authorises the Revenue Divisional Officer, Devikulam, to conduct all business related to the cardamom lease in the assignable area of the CHR.
Unlike Forest personnel, Revenue staff are mostly confined to their offices and have practically no idea whether any violation of the Rule is taking place. Statistics show that land grabbing in the CHR has been rampant during the UDF rule.
Though all LDF governments vowed stern action against land grabbers, they did nothing to clip the wings of encroachers.
In the last 300 years, the Cardamom Hill Reserve has seen many confrontations and struggles. But the damage inflicted on the region by human interference in 250 years is less than the harm caused by land grabbers in the last 50 years.
http://newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IER20060104003627&Page=R&Title=Kerala&Topic=0 &
No comments:
Post a Comment