Yes, thanks to the sheer indifference of the state government and apparent helplessness of local authorities, villages in Jhalod taluka, Dahod district -- a dinosaur hatchery in the Jurassic age -- are being plundered by all and sundry for their treasures.

Last year, Express Newsline had run a story on the lax security in the area. Despite this, little has been done to protect the area from the palaeontologists, research students, curious foreigners and businessmen on the make who come here in their droves.

Actually, a few things have changed. After last year's story broke, the police had cracked down on the trade, imposing Section 144 in the district and picking up some suspects. This had a double impact. Some tribals, who not too long ago would run at the sight of a car, have realised the potential and become local agents for traders in `dino nu inde'.

Others play it safe, denying any such activity or knowledge of it. ``Tama kaun chho, su mate aaya chho?'' (who are you and what have you come for) is one suspicious query. ``Aa Paodi gaam nathi'' (It is not the village you are naming) is a more blunt denial. When pressed, they say: ``Inde mate? Badha layee gaya chhe'' (For eggs, isn't it? They have taken all the eggs).

Village elder Dhanjibhai Bilwal admits: ``Much has changed in our lives since the news of dinosaur eggs was made public''.

The tribals have every reason to feel angry or upset. To them the eggs are religious icons, once gracing the many roadside temples all over the tribal belt. Over the past year, they've been disappearing with increasing frequency, and there's little they can do. ``There were two foreigners last month who visited these villages and reportedly got some eggs for a large amount'', says another villager, too scared to mention details.

The confusion and fear is due largely to governmental inaction. Villagers say that not a single officer has come to their villages or visited the sites in the past year. ``The police had come only to wield canes'', says one.

A prime cause of government inertia could be the lack of staff. The two districts Dahod and Panchmahals have only one class-I official, a Geologist, between them. As if that's not enough, the person is also designated as scientist in the Remote Sensing wing at Gandhinagar. With a staff strength of less than 10, no official vehicle and a budget large enough for the salaries alone, any wonder the eggs are being plundered?

State geology and mining minister Narottam Patel says he was not aware of the full problem, but said he would get the information and act soon. But commissioner (geology and mining) H K Das sounds more concerned. ``I admit that the eggs clutches in the Dahod areas have not been taken care of as yet.'' Promising a concrete plan of action he points to headway made in the preservation of Rahioli village in Kheda district, which is a dinosaurs' graveyard.

Interestingly, while Das's example is a success story, what is surprising is that the government has not put two and two together. Experts say that when the dinosaurs were wiped out millions of years ago, the adult dinosaurs could not have been too far from the eggs. So the distance between the graveyard and the hatchery cannot be that great; common sense would dictate that they form one contiguous protected area. Government rules, however, dictate otherwise.

Dahod collector Elias Ibrahim Kalashva and Superintendent of Police K L N Rao admit that they had received unconfirmed reports about such thefts in the past, but not at present. They both speak of planning for the future, but are unable to give details.