CHENNAI, Oct 5: It was a typical case of scarcity amidst plenty. The Nilgiris, a verdant paradise in the otherwise dry Tamil Nadu, was suffering from an abnormal scarcity of wood till August last. This was because, no tree-felling had been allowed in the area for more than two years.

Resulting from a December '95 Supreme Court (SC) order that no trees could be chopped down in all of TN, applications made for tree-cutting by various farmers and forest contractors were no longer considered by the committee clearing them. The SC, in December 1996, passed an interim order, allowing the trimming/cutting of trees, subject to certain conditions, which included following the procedures recommended by the Tamil Nadu Tea Corporation (TANTEA). A further order on the matter was issued by the SC in January 1997.

The applications did not move despite these measures; also nearly 150 applications for cutting/trimming wood and transportation of logs, (mostly of the species blue gum and wattle) were pending, some of them for more than two years. The small and marginal farmers managed to make ends meet only because the ruling prices of tea and coffee were high enough to compensate the loss incurred from the stalemate in logging.

Locals, whom The Indian Express met, expressed that it was beyond their comprehension as to why the committee which included the collector, district forest officer and officials from the agriculture engineering department were sitting on the clearance.

Some others alleged that officials in the collectorate, forest department and other departments involved, were demanding bribes to the tune of Rs 100 to Rs 5,000 to pass the papers. Moreover, the body, supposed to meet once every month, gathered hardly twice from January to July 1997. And even then, only a minimum number of applications were cleared. By this time, many of the stored wood had rotted away.

Forests minister Pongalur N Palanisamy has even proudly gone on record saying that as per DMK Government directives to stop tree-felling the heavily wooded regions were `importing' wood. Though some contractors pointed out that even as the SC ruling covered all of the state, during the ban, the usual volume of wood was being cut with impunity in Dindigul and Palani Hills with the active collusion of officials with land-owners.

And then, in a sudden volte-face suddenly on August 8, the State Government passed two GOs, authorising the cutting and transport of silver oak, grown mainly by small tea/coffee estate owners, who abound in the Nilgiris.And then on August 28, when a meeting was held again, a flood of applications, numbering 20, were cleared immediately.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.