[Reader-list] Bamboo as Grass, not Tree

[anupam chakravartty]

*Bamboo is NOT a Tree!*
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To:  Government of India

BAMBOO IS NOT A TREE!

Dear Hon’ble Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh,
Hon'ble Minister of State Shri Jairam Ramesh, Ministry of Environment and
Forests Hon'ble Union Minister Shri Sharad Pawar, Ministry of Agriculture

The Indian Forest Act (1927) classifies bamboo, now a scientifically
recognised grass, as a tree. It is a blunder and a very costly one. With
1500 documented uses, bamboo is the most useful renewable resource. India
has the largest proportion of area under bamboo cultivation and if managed
well bamboo could become a steady and sustainable source of livelihood for
millions of tribals and rural habitants, it could reduce use of timber and
save our forests, and help build peace and prosperity in our volatile North
East region.

Sustainable Livelihood: The Planning Commission estimates that bamboo could
provide employment to nearly 50 million people, particularly the poorest
forest-dependent communities. The productivity per hectare in India is
one-fifth of that in China and the annual turnover of the bamboo sector in
China is 12 times that of India.

Environmental Benefits: It releases more oxygen than an equivalent strand of
trees, absorbs high intensity radiation, prevents soil erosion and can be
used as a green fuel. According to the ASSOCHAM, if just the government of
India substitutes bamboo for the wood products it purchases, it could save
nearly Rupees 7,000 crore annually and help save our forests.

Development and Stability in the North East: More than 66% of the total
bamboo yield comes from our Northeastern states. The failure to utilise this
resource properly has hit this region the hardest. In fact the Mizo
insurgency was a direct result of the government’s lackluster attitude to
the problem of bamboo flowering.

Looking at all the available literature, the Centre for Civil Society study
makes the following recommendations:

A) Amend the Indian Forest Act (1927) and remove bamboo from the list of
trees under Section 2(7) of the Act

B) The Ministry of Environment and Forests should declare bamboo a grass, a
horticulture crop, and as Non-Timber Forest Produce

C) Abolish all restrictions on bamboo grown on private lands

D) Declare the North-East as a Special Bamboo Zone

E) Create a Bamboo Board on the lines of Tea/ Coffee Board

The bamboo could be India’s Green Gold! Let’s remove the hurdles of the
forest laws which govern the harvest, trade, transport and use of bamboo.

Parth J Shah, President, Centre for Civil Society
www.jeevika.org, www.ccs.in, www.azadi.me

Sincerely,

The Undersigned <http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?bamboo>

 View Current Signatures<http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?bamboo>