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R. V. D’ Souza
of environmental destruction. Therefore it is important that the state takes the right
kind of initiative and help expand the space of the ecological public. The Gadgil
Panel was the initiative of the state though it could not effectively negotiate with the
contending claims and had to water down the panel’s recommendations with another
committee, the Kasturirangan Committee. The Panel’s propositions that ‘Public land
should not be converted into private land and for all settlements and built areas,
certain types of areas would be no-go areas, including water courses, water bodies,
special habitats, geological formations, bio-diversity rich areas and sacred groves’,
did not go well with the state developmental goals. The Panel felt that institutions
need to be restructured. The entire Western Ghats Ecological Authority (WGEA)
along with the State Western Ghats authorities for each state and District Ecology
Committees (DEC) sought to address the various environmental challenges of the
Western Ghats. The committee also commended the legislative opposition and processing the validity of people’s claims through it. The legislation from time to time
too has addressed the issues of ecology. The National Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP
2002–2016) replaced the earlier plan adopted in 1983 and was introduced in response
to the need for a change in priorities given the increased commercial use of natural resources continued growth of human and livestock populations, and changes in
consumption patterns. The NWAP contains various recommendations to address the
needs of local communities living outside protected areas and outlines the need for
voluntary relocation and rehabilitation of villages within protected areas.
The forest policy of India with all its ups and downs acknowledges and maintains
the linkages between tribal lives and forests.
12 In fact, several interventions by the
Supreme Court, the highest apex judicial body in India have from time to time
scrutinised the forest policy in India. The ecological questions are upheld by the
apex judicial body in India in several instances. While delivering justice for a public
petition against mining, the Supreme Court had barred 19 companies from all types
of mining activities in Ramamnamalai, Swamimalai and the north-east block of
the forest areas in Bellary district in Karnataka state prior to the Gadgil Report
submission. Much earlier in 2009 the High Court in Karnataka notified the setting
up of an exclusive Green Bench to provide a legal space for environmental and
ecological issues.
In India, environmentalism arose out of the fight of the poor, with concern for
social justice and sustainability (Guha 2013). The race for development by neglecting sustainability and the lavish patterns of resource use have rendered the local
communities disadvantaged and have confounded the natural environment. In fact,
in the bargain of systematically transforming the erstwhile resource management
by the traditional owners of the region into commodities to generate profits and
government revenue, the local communities lost their stakes to conserve the forests.
12 The policy clearly reiterated that the forests cannot be exploited for commercial purposes and
should be conserved and used for subsistence needs of the forest dependent communities. The
plantations should not be introduced in place of mixed forests and regeneration of natural forests
must get precedence.
R. V. D’ Souza
of environmental destruction. Therefore it is important that the state takes the right
kind of initiative and help expand the space of the ecological public. The Gadgil
Panel was the initiative of the state though it could not effectively negotiate with the
contending claims and had to water down the panel’s recommendations with another
committee, the Kasturirangan Committee. The Panel’s propositions that ‘Public land
should not be converted into private land and for all settlements and built areas,
certain types of areas would be no-go areas, including water courses, water bodies,
special habitats, geological formations, bio-diversity rich areas and sacred groves’,
did not go well with the state developmental goals. The Panel felt that institutions
need to be restructured. The entire Western Ghats Ecological Authority (WGEA)
along with the State Western Ghats authorities for each state and District Ecology
Committees (DEC) sought to address the various environmental challenges of the
Western Ghats. The committee also commended the legislative opposition and processing the validity of people’s claims through it. The legislation from time to time
too has addressed the issues of ecology. The National Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP
2002–2016) replaced the earlier plan adopted in 1983 and was introduced in response
to the need for a change in priorities given the increased commercial use of natural resources continued growth of human and livestock populations, and changes in
consumption patterns. The NWAP contains various recommendations to address the
needs of local communities living outside protected areas and outlines the need for
voluntary relocation and rehabilitation of villages within protected areas.
The forest policy of India with all its ups and downs acknowledges and maintains
the linkages between tribal lives and forests.
12 In fact, several interventions by the
Supreme Court, the highest apex judicial body in India have from time to time
scrutinised the forest policy in India. The ecological questions are upheld by the
apex judicial body in India in several instances. While delivering justice for a public
petition against mining, the Supreme Court had barred 19 companies from all types
of mining activities in Ramamnamalai, Swamimalai and the north-east block of
the forest areas in Bellary district in Karnataka state prior to the Gadgil Report
submission. Much earlier in 2009 the High Court in Karnataka notified the setting
up of an exclusive Green Bench to provide a legal space for environmental and
ecological issues.
In India, environmentalism arose out of the fight of the poor, with concern for
social justice and sustainability (Guha 2013). The race for development by neglecting sustainability and the lavish patterns of resource use have rendered the local
communities disadvantaged and have confounded the natural environment. In fact,
in the bargain of systematically transforming the erstwhile resource management
by the traditional owners of the region into commodities to generate profits and
government revenue, the local communities lost their stakes to conserve the forests.
12 The policy clearly reiterated that the forests cannot be exploited for commercial purposes and
should be conserved and used for subsistence needs of the forest dependent communities. The
plantations should not be introduced in place of mixed forests and regeneration of natural forests
must get precedence.