timber rights

April 13, 2001

Move to amend timber rights opposed
S.P. Sharma
Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 12
The Opposition parties in Himachal Pradesh are unlikely to fall in with the plan of the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, to have a consensus on amending the rules pertaining to the traditional timber distribution rights under which high class deodars were being given to the right holders at throw-away prices.

Mr Dhumal had recently convened his first all-party meeting here to reach a consensus on the contentious issue of amending the rules pertaining to the timber distribution rights.

However, it appears that the Opposition parties were not willing to oblige Mr Dhumal as this might hit their vote bank.

According to official figures, 99,410 cubic metres of timber worth Rs 80.50 crore in the open market was given to the right holders at a price of Rs 1.40 lakh during 1999-2000 and 80,074 cubic metres of timber worth Rs 68.21 crore was given under the timber distribution rights for just Rs 99,198 during 2000-2001.

A former Chief Minister and CLP leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh, says that there was no justification in discontinuing the distribution rights which were sanctioned because of various forest settlements. Instead, the government should try to prevent the misuse of timber which was granted under the system.

On the other hand, the Forest Minister, Mr Roop Singh, says that the problem was not of the BJP alone, but pertains to the entire state. The Opposition parties should join hands to solve the issue, he maintains.

He made it clear that the BJP government did not intend to discontinue the distribution rights but wants to streamline the system under which timber was allotted to the right holders.

He said efforts were being made to reach a consensus with the Opposition parties to hike the rates under which timber was being given to the right holders. These rates were fixed more than 100 years ago and were never revised thereafter.

The average cost of a deodar tree was fixed at 64 paise per cubic metre for the right holders about 121 years ago in 1897. These days, the market price of per cubic metre of deodar timber has crossed Rs 25,000. The right holders are, even these days, being charged something between Re 1 to Rs 8 per tree.

Most of the forest settlements were done between 1879 to 1915 when the rates of trees for the right holders of different areas were fixed.

Over 2.30 lakh green trees, worth about Rs 300 crore, have been cut by the right holders in the past five years and the government received a paltry amount of Rs 2.20 lakh for this timber.