April 13, 1997

Endangered Species

Foresters allegedly behind sandalwood smuggling

TAMIL NADU: A solitary tree which escaped the axemen is all that is left of the sandalwood forests in Jamuna Maruthur in Javdi Hills. The culprits: Forest officials and tribals who are hacking down the trees. Given the present situation the famed sandalwood forests of the past.

Of the state's 22,500 sq km of forest, the sandal belt occupies 6,500 sq km. Although 1,500 tonnes of sandalwood are auctioned by the forest department annually, about the same amount is smuggled out of the forests of Sitheri and Javadi ranges in Dharmapuri and Thiruvannamalai districts.

Not long ago the sandal belt extended across Coimbatore, Periyar, Salem, Dharmapuri, Thiruvannamalai Sambuvarayar and North Arcto Ambedkar districts. Today, it is limited to Dharmapuri and Thiruvannamalia districts.

The Sitheri and Javadi ranges are considered the last of the sandalwood citadels. 'In 1995-96 alone about 100 tonnes of sandalwood worth Rs 5 crore have been smuggled out of the Sitheri ranges," said S. Yuvaraj, the District Forest Officer (DFO) of Harur division. And with limited personnel to guard the forests, (the Harur division has just 80 uniformed men to watch the 25,000 hectares of forest area) the smuggling activities are bound to continue.

These hill ranges are home to The Malaiyal (malai means hill) tribals. Ever since the commercial value of sandalwood was realised, the belt was declared reserved forest area and the tribals were employed by the forest areas and the tribals were employed by the forest department on temporary jobs like plot watchers and guides under a sandalwood estate scheme, inaugurated in 1986.

What should have been a peaceful cooperation has very often turned into violent confrontations between the officials and the tribals. "All villages in Sitheri are engaged in sandalwood smuggling," alleged the Harur DFO. "With a limited force, it is difficult for us to fight the smugglers."

The buyers come from other states and also from Japan, where sandal paste is used in temple rituals and even for therapeutic purposes. Kerala is also major market.

According to a forest conservator, there are about 20 private oil mills in Kerala, most of them in Palakkad district. "These oil mills encourage smuggling," he said. Forest officials claimed that in the last one year they had confiscated 59 vehicles with original Kerala registration while smuggling out sandalwood.

But many allege that the tribals are hand in glove with the forest officials. "How can the forest officials be totally ignorant of smuggling as they claim to be ?" asked Annamalai, the ex-CPI(M) MLA of Harur. "Something is rotten here." In Harur division alone 520 persons, including a few forest officials, were caught red-handed," said he. "The vehicle was confiscated, but nothing came out of it . A ranger Papirettipetti was also caught while smuggling sandalwood. He, too was no punished."

The villagers of Sitheri claim that they have nothing to do with smugglers. "Some villagers may be doing it on instruction from the forest officials, " said Tirupathi, the headman of Sitheri. "But the rest of us are harassed by the forest officials."

"The smuggling operation is carried out by the forest officials in three stages" alleged Dilli Babu, a CPI(M) activist. "They use one group of tribals to fell and billet the trees, another to transport it down the ranges and a third one to carry it to the destination. There is no contact between these groups."

The tribals who are temporary workers of the forest department are paid from Rs 10 to Rs 50 to fell and transport down a tree, depending on its firth and size. But they can earn as much as Rs 100 a day if they turn to smuggling.

In Javadi hills the situation is much worse. The sandalwood of this area is known for its quality and hence is in big demand. The relations between the forest department and the tribals here are marked by a deep distrust.

Last August, nine-year-old Selvaraj of Thimirimaruthur village was shot dead by the forest officials. The officials had raided the village which falls under Jamuna Maruthur panchayat and arrested a few people for illegally felling sandalwood. The tribals resisted the arrest which provoked the forest officials. The boy's parents are still waiting for the compensation of Rs 1 lakh promised by the collector.

"Some time back a battalion of armed forest officials came into the village terrorising people," said Kuppuswamy, the headman of Thimirimaruthur village. "The villagers were too scared to react. Our women were abused and some were even molested." According to S. Appaswamy, a CPI (M) activist, "officials even pocket the paltry wages of the coolies".

Forest officials accuse the villagers of felling even pachai maram (young sandalwood trees). Investigations revealed that the sandalwood agents were taking advantage of the situation, bribing the villagers to fell trees.

From Javadi Hills alone Rs 50 crore worth sandalwood was smuggled out. A forest ranger revealed that at least a lakh trees have been felled in the past one year and cover-up operations are one to conceal this large-scale smuggling. Some forest guards were seen digging out the roots of the trees when this reporter visited the area.

Javadi Hills look almost barren today. But steps are being taken to conserve this national treasure. Though the land 'patta' are held by the tribals, the sandalwood growing in their land belongs to the state. Through a new scheme, 'Joint Forest Management", to be introduced this month, the tribals will be give ownership of the sandalwood in their land.

But they will have to give a certain share to the state. "If such a scheme is implemented it will be for the best,' said a tribal. " We will ensure that smuggling doesn't take place. Right now, we just don't bother if somebody cuts even the pachai maram." Japan has also sanctioned Rs 450 crore for a five - year "Tamil Nadu Afforestation Project."

When these measures will save the remaining trees from the money-hungry smugglers are debatable.

One realistic step would be to increase the pay of the forest officials so that at least some of them will not turn to the forests to supplement their meager income.

E VIJAYALAKSHMI in Sitheri and Javadi.

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