Forests and Tribals, 1950–2000

Saravanan, Velayutham

doi:10.1007/978-981-10-8052-4_4

Velayutham Saravanan²

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1 Citations

Abstract

In this chapter, Saravanan discusses the forest policies of the state government and their impact on the environment and tribals in Tamil Nadu during the second half of the twentieth century (1950–2000). He further analyses the contradictions in the policies framed by the state towards conservation. On the one hand, the state has enacted several Forest Acts and rules besides imposing restrictions on the tribals and other traditional forest-dwellers, whose economy is associated with the forests. On the other hand, forest land was diverted for various development activities, encouraging commercialisation. Saravanan tries to capture the role of different departments of the state administration in protecting forest resources and also the nexus between the state administration and politicians/contractors in the plunder of the forest. In short, in this chapter he contributes immensely to an understanding of government policies and their implications for the environment and tribals in Tamil Nadu during the second half of the twentieth century.

This chapter was originally published in Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 41(4), 2007.

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Notes

1.
Government of Tamil Nadu, State Administrative Report 1989–1990, 1993, p. 145.
2.
For the detailed review see Velayutham Saravanan, ‘Colonial Commercial Forest Policy and the Tribal Private Forests in Madras Presidency: 1792–1881’. Indian Economic and Social History Review, 40(4), 2003, pp. 403–407; Velayutham Saravanan, ‘Colonialism and Coffee Plantations: Decline of Environment and Tribals in Madras Presidency during the 19th Century’, Indian Economic and Social History Review, 41(4), 2004, pp. 464–488 and Velayutham Saravanan, ‘Agrarian policies in the tribal areas of Madras Presidency during the pre–survey and settlement period, 1792–1872, Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics, 65(2), 2010, pp. 261–276.
3.
Saravanan, ‘Agrarian policies in the tribal areas of Madras Presidency during the pre–survey and settlement period, 1792–1872’.
4.
Saravanan, ‘Colonial Commercial Forest Policy and the Tribal Private Forests’.
5.
Velayutham Saravanan, ‘Tribal Revolts in India with Reference to Salem and Baramahal Districts of Madras Presidency during the late 18th Century’. Artha Vijnana, 41(1), 1999, pp. 67–81.
6.
Saravanan, ‘Colonial policy and Tribal Welfare Measures in Madras Presidency’.
7.
Saravanan, ‘Commercialisation of forest, Environmental Negligence and Alienation of Tribal Rights’ pp. 125–146; Saravanan, ‘Colonial Commercial Forest Policy and the Tribal Private Forests’, ‘Colonialism and Coffee Plantations: decline of Environment and Tribals’ pp. 464–488; Velayutham Saravanan, ‘Economic Exploitation of Forest Resources in South India during Pre–Forest Act Colonial Era, 1793–1882,’ International Forestry Review: The International Journal of Forest Science and Policy, 10(1), 2008, pp. 65–73.
8.
Saravanan, ‘Commercial Crops, Alienation of Common Property Resources and Change in Tribal’, pp. 298–317; Saravanan, ‘Colonialism and Coffee Plantations’.
9.
Saravanan, ‘Colonial Agrarian Policies in the Tribal Areas of Madras Presidency: 1872–1947’.
10.
Velayutham Saravanan, ‘Subalterns vs State Institutions: Politicians, State, Forest, Law and Atrocities on Tribals in Tamil Nadu, 1990–2000’ The International Journal of Human Rights, 15(6), 2010, pp. 948–968; Velayutham Saravanan, ‘Terrorising Tribals: Nexus between Police and Forest Department’. Economic and Political Weekly, 32(29), 1997, pp. 1789–1790.
11.
Velayutham Saravanan, ‘Tribal Land Alienation in Madras Presidency during the Colonial Period: 1792–1947’. Review of Development and Change, 6(1), 2000, pp. 73–104.
12.
Velayutham Saravanan, Economic Transformation of Tribals in Tamil Nadu Since the Colonial Rule 1792–1991, unpublished PhD dissertation, Hyderabad: University of Hyderabad, 1994.
13.
Saravanan, ‘Terrorizing Tribals: Nexus between Police and Forest Department,’ pp. 1789–1790; Velayutham Saravanan, ‘Tamil Nadu: An Ecological Tragedy’. Frontier, 33(3), 2000, pp. 4–6; Ajit Menon and Velayutham Saravanan, ‘Displacement and Rehabilitation Policies: The case of Kolli Hills Hydro–electric Project,’ Economic and Political Weekly, 31(43), 1996, pp. 2854–2855.
14.
N.S. Jodha, Life on the Edge: Sustaining Agriculture and Common Property Resources in Fragile Environment, Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2001, p. 135.
15.
Arun Bandopadhyay, ‘Three issues from a CPR management: Village forestry in post-colonial South Asia’ in B.B. Chaudhuri and Arun Bandopadhyay (eds), Tribes, Forest and Social Formation in Indian History, New Delhi, Manohar, 2004, p. 212.
16.
Government of Tamil Nadu, Policy note on Forest Department 1990–1991, p. 3.
17.
Indian Council of Forest Research & Education, Forestry Statistics India, Dehra Dun: ICFRE, 1995, p. 26.
18.
Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Forestry Statistics of India. Dehra Dun: ICFRE, 2000.
19.
Government of Tamil Nadu, Ninth Five– Year Plan 1997–2002, Chennai, 1998, p. 796.
20.
Policy note on Forest Department 1973–1974.
21.
Government of Tamil Nadu, Tamil Nadu – An Economic Appraisal 1971–1972, p. 21.
22.
Ibid.
23.
Ibid.
24.
Ibid., p. 21.
25.
Tamil Nadu – An Economic Appraisal 1972–1973, p. 29.
26.
Government of Tamil Nadu, Eighth Five–Year Plan 1992–1997, Madras, 1992, p. 133.
27.
Ibid., p. 137.
28.
Ibid.
29.
Bandopadhyay, ‘Three issues from a CPR management’, p. 210.
30.
Policy note on Forest Department 1972–1973, pp. 16–17.
31.
Bandopadhyay, ‘Three issues from a CPR management’ p. 211.
32.
Ibid.
33.
Tamil Nadu An Economic Appraisal 1997–1998, p. 47.
34.
Tamil Nadu An Economic Appraisal 1999–2000, p. 42.
35.
Tenth Five–Year Plan 1997–2002, p. 792.
36.
Policy note on Forest Department 1986–1987, p. 3.
37.
Policy note on Forest Department 1972–1973.
38.
Ibid., p. 2.
39.
Policy note on Forest Department 1973–1974, p. 1.
40.
Ibid., p. 2.
41.
Policy note on Forest Department 1990–1991, p. 3.
42.
Tamil Nadu: An Economic Appraisal, 1993–1994, p. 103.
43.
Forestry Statistics India, 1995, p. 42.
44.
India Forestry Statistics, 1996.
45.
Ibid.
46.
India Forestry Statistics 2000.
47.
Forestry Statistics India, 1995, p. 36.
48.
India Forestry Statistics 2000.
49.
Saravanan, ‘Commercialisation of forest, Environmental Negligence’; Saravanan, ‘Colonial Commercial Forest Policy and the Tribal Private’; Saravanan, ‘Colonialism and Coffee Plantations.
50.
Saravanan, ‘Colonialism and Environment: Commercialisation of Forest and Decline of Tribals in Madras Presidency, 1882–1947’.
51.
Bandopadhyay, ‘Three issues from a CPR management’ p. 210.
52.
India Forestry Statistics 2000.
53.
Ibid.
54.
Saravanan, ‘Commercialisation of forest, Environmental Negligence’.
55.
Policy note on Forest Department 1985–1986, p. 9.
56.
Saravanan, ‘Terrorising Tribals: Nexus between Police and Forest.
57.
Policy note on Forest Department 1990–1991, p. 54.
58.
Policy note on Forest Department 1983–1984, p. 4.
59.
Policy note on Forest Department 1986–1987, p. 5.
60.
Saravanan, ‘Subalterns vs State Institutions: Politicians, State, Forest, Law and Atrocities on Tribals in Tamil Nadu’.
61.
Policy note on Forest Department 1985–1986, p. 6.
62.
Ibid.
63.
Government of Tamil Nadu, Synoptic Statistics on Forestry in Tamil Nadu, Office of the Chief Conservator of Forests, Madras, 1978, p. 14.
64.
The Hindu dated 22 September 2002 in http://www.thehindu.com/2002/09/22/stories/2002092204570600.htm.
65.
The Hindu 2 May 2003.
66.
Policy note on Forest Department 1989–1990, p. 54.
67.
Hindu 13 March 2003.
68.
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Flavours and Fragances of Plant Origin, 1995, in http://www.fao.org/docrep/v5350e/V5350e08.htm.
69.
C. Ramanathan, Indian Sandalwood Trade. In TED Case Studies: Sandalwood Case, 1997. www.american.edu/projects/mandala/TED/sandalwood.htm.
70.
Saravanan, ‘Commercialisation of forest, Environmental Negligence’ ‘Colonialism and Environment: Commercialisation of Forest and Decline of Tribals in Madras Presidency, 1882–1947’.
71.
Policy note on Forest Department 1979–1980, p. 7.
72.
Policy note on Forest Department 1981–1982, p. 10.
73.
Tamil Nadu Forest (Amendment) Act 1992.
74.
They are 1. Adiyan 2. Aranandam 3. Eravallan 4. Irular 5. Kadar 6. Kammara (excluding Kanyakumari district and Shenkottah taluk of Tirunelveli district) 7. Kanikaran, Kanikkar (excluding Kanyakumari district and Shenkottah taluk of Tirunelveli district) 8. Kaniyan, Kanyan 9. Kattunayakan 10. Kochu Velan 11. Konda kapus 12. Kondareddis 13. Koraga 14. Kota (excluding Kanyakumari district and Shenkottah Taluk of Tirunelveli district) 15. Kudiyal Melakudi 16. Kurichchan 17. Kurumbas (in the Nilgiris district) 18. Kurumans 19. MahaMalasar 20. Malai Arayan 21. Malai pandaram 22. Malai Vedan 23. Malakkuravan 24. Malasar 25. Malayali (in Dharmapuri, North Arcot, Pudukottai, Salem, South Arcotand Tiruchirappalli districts) 26. Malayakandi 27. Mannan 28. Mudugar, Muduvan 29. Muthuvan 30. Pallayan 31. Palliyan 32. Palliyar 33. Paniyan 34. Sholaga 35. Toda (excluding Kanyakumari district and Shenkottah taluk of Tirunelveli district) 36. Uraly.
75.
Toda, Kota, Kurumba, Irular, Pania and Kattunaickan.
76.
They are: Kolli hills , Shervaroy hills , Kalrayan hills and Pachamalai hills of Salem district ; Kalrayan hills of South Arcot district ; and Jawadhi–Elagiri hills of North Arcot district ; Pachamalai hills of Tiruchirappalli and Sitteri hills of Dharmapuri district .
77.
Saravanan, ‘Decline of Tribal Economy in Tamil Nadu: 1947–2000’.
78.
E. Karuppaiyan, ‘Alienation of Tribal Lands in Tamil Nadu: Panel Data Analysis’ Economic and Political Weekly, 35(37), 2000, pp. 3344–3348; see also Institute of Techno–Economic Studies. Indebtedness of Scheduled Tribes in Tamil Nadu, Madras, 1978.

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Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
Velayutham Saravanan

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Saravanan, V. (2018). Forests and Tribals, 1950–2000. In: Environmental History and Tribals in Modern India. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8052-4_4

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8052-4_4
Published: 08 March 2018
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-8051-7
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-8052-4
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