The very purpose of rule 118, under which outsiders are not allowed to buy land in Himachal, has been defeated. Powerful outsiders, including top politicians and industrialists, have been allowed to buy as much land as they want. The policy has patronised corruption. Fake land deals have mushroomed under “corrupt” officials.
The rule has deprived the locals of their right to sell their property. Even the apex court has ruled in one case that citizens can’t be denied their fundamental rights. Under the forest policy, tree felling on private land is completely banned. Locals can’t even fell trees for their bona fide requirements.
Sadly, Himachal has always remained at the receiving end of such arbitrary policies. The Centre has paid more attention to and given more funds for Jammu & Kashmir despite the fact that Himachal is the role model for faster development for the hilly areas.
The BJP is all out for the abolition of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir that gives the state special status and empowers it by giving it exclusive rights. The party’s stand is that this provision violates the spirit of equality enshrined in the Constitution. Outsiders can’t buy property and residency in Jammu & Kashmir. Although this constitutional provision for Jammu & Kashmir is a historical necessity, the rule 118 in Himachal undermines the right to equality and the right to move freely. India, being a federal republic, can’t flourish under divisive laws.
Be that as it may, people expect the state government to come forward with a multi-dimensional land and forest policy to optimise use of land. Large chunks of land in the state are unfit for agriculture cultivation, but such land is best suited for farm forestry. Scientific studies show that land with above 20-degree slopes is best suited for forest farming.
Dr YS Parmar, the architect of Himachal Pradesh, had envisioned this and batted for three-dimensional forestry. Unfortunately, successive governments haven’t paid much attention to this and are focused on horticulture. State leadership after Dr Parmar hasn’t lived up to the peoples’ expectations. Except Shanta Kumar, all of them were more engrossed in rehabilitating their “cohorts”, promoting family and self interests to stick to power, making the state almost bankrupt.
The three-dimensional forestry is a land-management paradigm developed by Japanese social reformer Toyohiko Kagawa. He managed to persuade many of Japan’s upland farmers during the 1930s that the solution to their soil-erosion problem lay in widespread tree-planting. Kagawa also advised that they could receive further benefit if they planted crop trees, such as the quick-maturing walnuts and other forestry produce. It worked wonders for the Japanese farmers.
In Himachal, the erosion of top soil is the biggest problem. The treeless top soil gets uprooted following the rains as it goes down the stream, filling reservoirs and accumulating on river banks. This reduces the storage capacity and the life of the reservoirs and creates many problems related to silting.
The planting of forest trees on farmland conserves soil, can even supply food for humans and fodder for animals. Himachal should have adopted similar land management long back. The integrated forest farming can explore fresh avenues of employment for the local people. As of now, the state badly needs more and more employment-generating activities.
Forest farming can supplement tourism also. Tourism alone can’t sustain employment generation. A cash-strapped government in Himachal is indulging too much in rhetoric, but doing little to translate its resolve in real life.
(Chander Sharma In Himchal Tribune)