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Orissa
Orissa is like an oval shaped land mass on the eastern coast of India, extending from 170 49’N to 220 34’N latitude and from 810 29’e to 870 29’E longitude. The total geographical area of the State is about 1,55,707 square kilometres. It has 30 districts, 59 sub-divisions and 324 development blocks.
Physiographic ally, the state can be divided into four regions:
- Coastal Plains:
The coastline of Orissa stretches over 529 kms. The alluvial delta of six major rivers, namely the Mahanadi, Subarnarekha, Budhabalanga, Baitarani, Brahmani and Rusikulya form the fertile coastal plains and the marshy creeks.
- Central Mountainous Region:
The central mountainous portion with its rolling hills and sprawling valleys covers about three fourths of the State.
- Eastern Ghats:
The Eastern Ghats are uplifted in three successive stages with distinct cross section having average summit level of 900, 600 and 300 metres. The Eastern Ghats run from northeast to southwest.
- Northern Plateau
The high plateaus that are found in the mountain ranges have average elevation of metres and represent characterstics of the peninsular tablelands
The recorded forest area of the state is 58,135 square kilometres; 37.34% of the total geographical area. However, the Reserve Forests, managed by the Forest Department, accounts for only 26,329 square kilometres. The balance forest areas are classified under Demarcated Protected Forests (11,685 square kilometres ) and Undemarcated Protected Forests (3,838 square kilometres). As per the State of Forest report published by the Forest Survey of India (based on assessment through satellite imagery), the State has 27,972 sq.kms of dense forests, 20,866 sq.kms of open forests and 5,782 sq.kms of scrub forests.
The major species occupying the Orissa forests are Sal, Teak and Bamboo. The species wise classification of forests of the state are:
- Sal forest 16,938 square kilometres
- Miscellaneous forest 21,024 square kilometres
- eak forest 2030 square kilometres
- Pure bamboo forest 374 square kilometres
- Mixed bamboo forest 17,794 square kilometres
- Mangrove forests 219 square kilometres
The bamboo species available in Orissa can be broadly classified in to four different categories:
- Occurring naturally in the forests : Dendrocalamus strictus (Salia), Bambusa bambos (Daba)
- Cultivated by villagers in their homestead land: Bamusa vulgaris (Sundarkani), Bamusa nutans (Badia)
- Found in small numbers in specific locations either in forests or in village land : Schizostachyum pergracile (Dangi) Gigantochloa rostrata (Pani bans), Thyrsostachys oliveri (Nala bans), B.tulda (Taleda),
- Occurring as very few individuals: Bambusa striata, Bambusa wamin, Dendrocalamus giganteus, Thyrsostachys regia.
Bamboo Management in Forests
Bamboo occurs in large tracts of forests of Orissa except for the districts of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Nawarangpur. It occupies about 13,950 square kilometres of forests as an associate of sal, teak and miscellaneous crop. In general Dendrocalamus strictus occurs on the hill slopes whereas Bambusa bambos occupies the moist area and nala banks.
For years forest bamboo in Orissa was managed and exploited to meet the raw material requirements of the paper mills. Long term leases were granted to the paper mils till 1st October 1988, when the forest bamboo was nationalised to be harvested and marketed by the State and its agencies.
Even after that, 98 per cent of the bamboo extracted from State forests was supplied to paper mills. Due to the dependency on the paper mills, the State has faced a marketing problem in 2001. One of the major consumers, the Orient Paper Mills has closed down and for other paper mills, the sale price fixed by the Govt. was uneconomic.
Bamboo shoots:
In Orissa the new sprouts of bamboo culms (Karadis) are procured from forests by local people to prepare pickle and food beverages. The fresh young shoots are sliced and fried to prepare the dish. It is also added to other dishes made from tomato and lady’s finger to add to taste. Since the Shoots are available only during rains, the villagers convert the young shoots to small pieces like noodles, dry it and store for the rest of the year. The dried shoots are called Hendua. Hendua is added to a number of dishes prepared from vegetables and fish to have a special flavour. The demand for karadi is so much in certain parts of the state that large quantities of young sprouts are removed from forests, leading to absence of new shoots and depletion of bamboo stock.
Bamboo culms are also used for preparing special dish of roasted meat. The hollow internode of big size Daba bamboo (Bamboosa bambos), with both the cross partitions intact, is used for this purpose. A hole is made in one of the cross partitions to stuff meat from one side. The meat is cut into small pieces, marinated with required quantity of oil, spices and condiments and kneaded for about 20 minutes for softening. The meat so prepared is then stuffed in side the lumen and the hole is closed with a small wooden peg. Two-centimeter thick clay is rubbed over the entire internode and then grilled over the radiating charcoal heat for about half an hour. When the clay becomes red hot the meat is supposed to be ready to be served. It is said that the taste of such roasted meat is excellent.
Bamboo Artisans: In Orissa certain traditional communities have adopted the bamboo craft as a profession for their livelihood. Most of them are landless and do not have any other source of earning.
The bamboo artisans procure bamboo by themselves from nearby forests. The frequency of visit to forest for extraction of bamboo depends on the closeness of the forests as well as the quality of bamboo available.
The artisans living in towns or villages away from forests have to purchase bamboo from others, who procure those from forests. This adds to the cost of production and reduces profit. The price of bamboo varies depending on the distance from forest. They usually prepare baskets, mats and other house-hold items, which are normally used by the local rural households and hence the income generated is very low.
Some of the artisans have developed specialization in making fancy articles. The mats prepared from the epidermal layer fetches higher price for being used in beds. Similarly the baskets prepared from this layer are sturdy and carry a premium price. Because of this, in some pockets, the artisans remove the epidermal layer of bamboo during collection in side the forest, reject the whole inner portion and carry enough quantity of top layer in cycle required for the week. Such uneconomic use of bamboo causes lots of wastage and depletion of resource. Local artisans generally use 1-2 year old bamboos for their products. In most cases, they harvest bamboo from the lower reaches of the forests causing over exploitation and ultimate degradation of the crop.
The mats and baskets made by the artisans are generally sold in the nearby weekly markets.
Bamboo artisans in towns and cities display and sell their products in front of their huts.
Sometimes, they more around in the towns and villages to sell. Petty traders are also involved in procuring fancy items from the artisans for selling in fairs and festivals and other places. Invariably these artisans communities are at the lowest rung of the social hierarchy. Over the years, with gradual depletion of bamboo resource from nearby forests and introduction of new, competitive materials in the market, the income of artisan communities has suffered a lot. The average monthly income of a bamboo artisan family ranges from Rs.700 to Rs.1000. The income is more during harvest season and summer due to increased demand.
Supply of Bamboos to Artisans including Co-operative Societies (Orissa) Rules.
In exercise of the powers conferred by clauses ©,(d) and (e) of Section 36 of the Orissa Forest Act (Orissa Act 14 of 1972), the State Government do hereby make the following rules to control and regulate the granting of licenses to bamboo artisans including Co-operatives Societies and felling and removing bamboos from protected forests located within the vicinity of the places where they are ordinarily resident, for purposes of trade namely :
1. Short title, extent and commencement :- (1) The rules may be called the Supply of Bamboos to Artisans including Co-operative Societies (Orissa) Rules.
2. They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
3. Definition : - In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires :-
- “Act” means the Orissa Forest Act (Orissa 14 of 1972) :
- “Bamboo artisan” means a person who earns his livelihood or a Co-operative Society, the members of which earn their livelihood by making baskets, kullas, tatties, variety of containers and other articles made of bamboos for sale to general public;
- “Family” means the members of the family of bamboo artisans;
- “Form” means a form appended to these rules;
- “Licensee” means any individual member of a family or Society registered under Rule 3 and is in possession of the licence book;
- “Permit” means a permit issued by an Authority competent to issue the same under these rules;
- “Schedule” means the Schedule appended to these rules;
- “Society” means a Bamboo Artisans’ Co-operative Society registered under the Orissa Co-operative Society Act;
- “Value” means value of bamboos as per rate prescribed in the Schedule appended to these rules;
- “Vicinity” means the area within the territorial Forest Range; but does not include a plantation area;
- “Working month” means all the months of the calendar year except the months of July, August and September;
- “Working season” means the period between 1st October to 30th June;
All words and expressions used in these rules but not defined therein have the same meaning as are respectively assigned to them in the Act.
4. Registration and licence :
- All the members of family or Society desirous of obtaining bamboos from protected forests for manufacture of bamboo products for purposes of trade shall be required to register themselves in the Territorial Forest Range Office within whose jurisdiction, they are ordinarily resident.
- The application for registration shall be in FormNo.1 and shall be accompanied by an Identity Certificate in Form No.II issued by the Sarpanch of the Grama Panchayat or Ward Member of Municipality or Notified Area Council as the case may be of the area where the applicant is ordinarily resident (in case the applicant of a Society, the Identity Certificate in respect of all members of the Society shall be furnished).
- All applications received from members of family and Societies shall be serially entered in a register in Form No.III by the concerned territorial Forest Range Officer. The applications and Identity Certificate shall be filled in the Range Office.
- After registering the application, the Range Officer shall issue a printed licence book in Form No.IV to the licensee from whom the cost of licence book amounting to rupees two shall be realized and credited to forest revenue. An used up licence book when returned by the licensee, shall be replaced by a new one, free of cost, by the Ranger Officer.
- All the printed licence books shall bear machine serial number. A register of licence books shall be maintained in the Range Office in Form No.V.
5. Permit and scale of supply:
- Subject to such orders or directions of the State Government and subject to availability in the protected forest, a licence may be granted permit during the working season up to five hundred and forty Salia bamboos.
- Not more than sixty Salia bamboos shall be permitted for removal in a working month under permit and not more than twenty bamboos shall be allowed at a time.
- The bamboos to be cut and removed under such permit shall not be less than two years old.
- The forester or any Forest Officer superior to him having jurisdiction over the area can issue such permits on realization of value and presentation of the licence book by the licensee. Each issue of permit shall be duly entered in the licence book by the Forest Officer, with his initial and date.
- A permit shall be in Form VI. The permit books shall be in triplicate and each page of the permit book shall bear the serial number of the book and page number of the permit in print. The original permit shall be issued to the party; the duplicate copy to be sent by the issuing officer to the Range Officer along with accounts and the triplicate shall be retained as a counterfoil in the book.
Value of bamboos : The value payable for different forest divisions for the purpose of sub-rule (4) of Rule 4 will be as per rates indicated in the Schedule. These rates are for felling and removal of bamboos under permit.
Restrictions : While cutting bamboos, the cutting rules prescribed in the Working Plan of the Division shall be applicable for the purposes of this rule also.
- Other methods of supply and rates thereof : The State Government may prescribe separate rates for different areas for the bamboos to be paid by the licenses when such bamboos are supplied for the purpose of these rules from departmentally opened depots.
- Infringement and penalty : Infringement of any of the provisions of these rules by the licensee shall make him liable to forfeiture of the license besides such other action that may be taken under provisions of Section 37 of the Act.
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