Gadkari blasts forest dept for corruption

NAGPUR: Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari on Sunday blasted his party’s government in the state for not doing away with transit pass (TP) regime to boost bamboo sector in Maharashtra.

Gadkari came down heavily on the forest department for not giving up control on bamboo. “When bamboo has been declared a grass by the Supreme Court, why a TP is being insisted upon by forest officials?” he said.

“We are the fastest growing economy and bamboo can change the face of rural India. This was true in case of

Vidarbha

which has 75% of state’s forest. But TP regime is playing spoilsport. We need to have ‘smart villages’ by boosting bamboo production on private lands,” said Gadkari.

Gadkari was addressing a small gathering at the physics hall on

VNIT premises

on Sunday, after opening

Maharashtra Chapter of Bamboo Society of India

(BSI). Though it was a meticulously planned small function, the minister was present out of his keen interest in promoting bamboo sector.

Incidentally, September 18 is celebrated as the World Bamboo Day. The Maharashtra chapter of BSI is first such body in the state. Founder of NGO VEDHA Sunil Joshi was installed as chairman, Hemant Bedekar as executive director and bamboo activist Deepak Sune as treasurer.

“They continue to insist on TP, which is issued by demanding money. So, why will a farmer grow bamboo or for that matter teak,” Gadkari said this in front of Maharashtra State Bamboo Board managing director TSK

Reddy

, who was on the dais.

Reddy said the government is working on modalities to ease TP regime. In

Western Maharashtra

, TP condition has been removed three years ago. From Sindhudurg alone, 1,500 truckloads of bamboo is supplied all over India to manufacture various products, Reddy admitted.

However, Gadkari added that forest department itself destroys forests but doesn’t issue TP easily to those who grow teak and bamboo. “I have talked to state forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar on the issue. Bamboo has the potential to generate employment and save ecology,” he said.

The minister said the government is contemplating manufacturing bioethanol from bamboo biomass in Gadchiroli to help tribals. He stressed the need for marketing and research to ensure cost-effective bamboo products are made available.

He also took potshots on institutes and officials for lack of research. “Do you know that 350 petroleum products can be made from coal? Vidarbha has surplus coal but there is no research. If politicians have to tell you this then what is the need for pay hike via Seventh Pay Commission,” he remarked.

Forest Department's Defense:

* Modalities to ease transit pass regime being worked out by the government

* Of the 11 forest circles, plans afoot to introduce bamboo clusters in 10 circles

* Economic zones mulled in state for marketing of bamboo products

* District and common schedule rate (DSR/CSR) for estimate making

* State has bamboo on 4.75 lakh hectares

* Plan to give bamboo on nistar (concessional) rate to 20,000 artisans from Burad community from existing 8,000

Why Transit Pass?

Transit Pass (TP) of forest produce is governed by Rule 31 of the Maharashtra Forest Rules, 2014. Accordingly, no forest produce shall be moved into or from, or within any district without a TP from authorized officer. No TP is required to transport forest produce within the limits of village, town or a city, if it is not obtained from the notified forest and a prior intimation has been made to RFO concerned. Similarly, transport of imported timber made by port authorities, where customs clearance is made, is exempted. State exempted all species of bamboo from TP, except Dendrocalamus Strictus and Bambusa Bambose found in Vidarbha.