[Reader-list] Bamboo is NOT a tree ! Petition

[rohitrellan at aol.in]

To:  Government of India
BAMBOO IS NOT A TREE!

Dear Hon’ble Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh,
Hon'ble Minister of State Shri Jairam Ramesh, Ministry of Environment 
and Forests Hon'ble Union Minister Shri Sharad Pawar, Ministry of 
Agriculture

The Indian Forest Act (1927) classifies bamboo, now a scientifically 
recognised grass, as a tree. It is a blunder and a very costly one. 
With 1500 documented uses, bamboo is the most useful renewable 
resource. India has the largest proportion of area under bamboo 
cultivation and if managed well bamboo could become a steady and 
sustainable source of livelihood for millions of tribals and rural 
habitants, it could reduce use of timber and save our forests, and help 
build peace and prosperity in our volatile North East region.

Sustainable Livelihood: The Planning Commission estimates that bamboo 
could provide employment to nearly 50 million people, particularly the 
poorest forest-dependent communities. The productivity per hectare in 
India is one-fifth of that in China and the annual turnover of the 
bamboo sector in China is 12 times that of India.

Environmental Benefits: It releases more oxygen than an equivalent 
strand of trees, absorbs high intensity radiation, prevents soil 
erosion and can be used as a green fuel. According to the ASSOCHAM, if 
just the government of India substitutes bamboo for the wood products 
it purchases, it could save nearly Rupees 7,000 crore annually=2
0and help 
save our forests.

Development and Stability in the North East: More than 66% of the total 
bamboo yield comes from our Northeastern states. The failure to utilise 
this resource properly has hit this region the hardest. In fact the 
Mizo insurgency was a direct result of the government’s lackluster 
attitude to the problem of bamboo flowering.

Looking at all the available literature, the Centre for Civil Society 
study makes the following recommendations:

A) Amend the Indian Forest Act (1927) and remove bamboo from the list 
of trees under Section 2(7) of the Act

B) The Ministry of Environment and Forests should declare bamboo a 
grass, a horticulture crop, and as Non-Timber Forest Produce

C) Abolish all restrictions on bamboo grown on private lands

D) Declare the North-East as a Special Bamboo Zone

E) Create a Bamboo Board on the lines of Tea/ Coffee Board

The bamboo could be India’s Green Gold! Let’s remove the hurdles of the 
forest laws which govern the harvest, trade, transport and use of 
bamboo.

Parth J Shah, President, Centre for Civil Society
www.jeevika.org, www.ccs.in, www.azadi.me


Sincerely,

The Undersigned

http://www.petitiononline.com/bamboo/petition-sign.html


The Bamboo is NOT a Tree! Petition to Government of India was created 
by and written by Parth Shah (jeevika at ccs.in).  This petition is hosted 
here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public servic
e. There is no 
endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or 
our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help 
form.