Planting utility trees must be focus of our Forestry Development plans
BRITISH TIMES: Governance by British officers on Indian territories is customarily condemned on 26th Jan & 15th August under title for AJADI of New India wef 1947. We do not complement pre 1947 times for introduction of many good IDEAS or systems but just talk for controversial British experimentation.
There had been many an areas of minor & major developments shaped during Governance of white Christianity. One of the minor activities apart from their major reform initiatives on Rivers, Energies, Road and Health Managements was plantation of VALUABLE TREES in different land locations in Punjab. Incidentally MANGO tree was innovated and got planted in large numbers in ROPAR (Rupnagar) including Morinda famous as Baghan Wala and is remembered with reverence by local’s elders. The land of this area was found friendly for such Fruit plantations and enjoyed Fruits for about 7 to 8 decades, courtesy vision of certain good British officers.
PUNJAB FORESTRY: The new Indian & State Governments brings out annual environmental data on all geography locations for the country. New Indian Environment & Forest Ministries introduced many a Missionary movements in the past 50-60 years for TREE plantation. There was a report that less than 5% plants may have survived that too out of actual number of plantations. Punjab Forest Department conventionally has been planting four type of Forest (Jungle) nature Tree plants such as; Burma Drek (30%), Nim (20%), Arjun (25%), Sukhchain (15%) and 10% Misc varieties for Flowery or Medicinal under different annual budget schemes. Agro Forestry in Punjab state saw cultivation for Eucalyptus & Popular Tree plantations by farmers. Horticulture has its own guiding profile on selection for commercial Fruit Tree cultivation in the state. Forest & Horticulture work independently without much operational connectivity with Panchayat system activities in rural areas.
India spread across in 28 states, 7 union territories, 640 districts, 5,767 tehsils7,933 towns and has 6,00,000 villages. According to the provisional reports released on 31 March 2011, the Indian population increased to 1.21 billion with a decade growth of 17.64%. As of 2002 there were about 2, 65,000 Gram Panchayats in India but now reportedly touched almost 3, 00,000 number by 2013. Punjab had 12,581 villages & almost same number of Gram Panchayts with about 1, 00,000 members, including Sarpanches.
UTILITY TREE PLATATIONS: The Punjab Environment Society along with Punjab Heritage & Education Foundation prepared a thought process to approach the state & centre Governments to prepare the selection process for annual tree plantations & implement with consistency. Punjab has 12,581 villages and if the IDEA developed is genuinely implemented, the state may have an average 50,000 Tones to 1, 50,000 Tones of Fruitful products for rural population. The state need to pool in just one to two acres common land for plantation of 25 to 50 UTILITY PLANTS valuable for community Pickle preparations. The Idea may bring in wonders by developing 5 lack plants to produce annually (after 3 to 6 years) many a tones of such Fruitful products. The produce on maturity may be allowed to be consumed by respective village population. The implementation may compensate certain economics on seasonal high price rise for vegetables happening regularly on certain days of the year apart from adding nutritional values by AMLA kind of products.
The variety of plants suggested will provide green cover in addition to utility for common rural populations. The maintenance for plants has been biggest challenge in Punjab or for India. Thus, five plants each may be got maintained by respective Member Panchayat/ Sarpanch as statuary obligation during their tenure. The selection for plants for a village may depend on land quality, preference of Sarpanch out of suggestive varieties such as; Kathal, Dheu, Amla, Bael, Lasora, Galgal, Jamun, Ber, Mango, Swanjna and Bamboo to be grown on outer ring for beauty & boundary protections. All these plants may come to fruit between 3 to 6 years and further have life between 15 to 80 years. The Punjab state as of now does not have substantive policy on what was good & what will be best for future. The department of Forest decides variety of plantations with their own experience and conventional wisdom. State may have to frame policy by selections every decade for variety of trees to be planted annually based on needs for the state subjects.
MODEL FOR THE COUNTRY: There are officers with New India who are better than many British performers but they either fails to get opportunities or system do not ensure consistency for carry on developmental agendas introduced by them. The new GOVERNANCE in Delhi may like to pick & consider the IDEA therein. It may be in the interest of the Punjab state to provisionally decide for about 10% plant budgets out of Forestry plans for production and supply of fruitful varieties short listed above to be given to Gram Panchayats by Forest in collaboration with state Horticulture or in technical association with P.A. University, Ludhiana. The coming generations may similarly remember present civilization thought process as that of certain good deeds of British Administration remembered for Mango tree plantations by our elders. The model proposed is therefore relevant to be taken up for whole of the country. Best wishes to state of Punjab & leadership of Red Fort New Delhi.
Article Posted on : 2014-08-26