Mendha Lekha village in Naxal-infested Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra will become the first in the country to get the right to harvest and sell bamboo after 150 years.
The right to harvest and sell bamboo was taken away by the British government over 150 years ago under the Indian Forest Act. Since then bamboo has been under the control of government.
Being categorised as a forest tree, the local forest dwellers cannot harvest them without permit from the state forest department.
However, the union environment ministry has now made modifications in the Act and as per new norms bamboo will no more be treated as a tree but will be a minor forest produce like tendu leaf. Hence, harvesting bamboo will now be recognised as a community right of tribals and forest dwellers.
On Wednesday union minister for environment and forests, Jairam Ramesh, and Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan will restore these rights by handing over the transit passbook to the gram sabha which permits harvest and sale of bamboo. Maharashtra has 1.20 million hectare of bamboo forest --- 10% of the total forest area of the state.
