Illegal sawmills log into forests

Nilgiri Hills: The Recognition of Forest Rights Act had aimed to give tribals rights over forestland, but wildlife activists argued that this would endanger the country's forests and wildlife.

In trying to please the tribal and the wildlife lobby the final Act has left India's forests wide open to commercial exploitation.

The State Forest departments together control 20 per cent of India's land - fast disappearing forest land.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests admits that India lost 26,000 square kilometers of forest cover between 2001 and 2003 and in 30 years India may lose all its forests.

The fact of the matter is that India's forest laws are not working. Illegal logging is common, confirmed to CNN IBN's Special Investigation Team (SIT) by a forest department official in the Nilgiris.

Says the official (who did not wish his identity revealed), "At the check posts, one has to shell out between Rs 500 and Rs 600 for rosewood. After that at the District Forest Officer level one has to give around Rs 25,000. Those who protect the forests are looting it. The mill owners give Rs 50,000 a month to the department and that's how the whole thing operates."

Now, with the passing of the Recognition of Forest Rights Act, nobody is sure who will prevent this organised plunder.

Felling forest trees is an offence, but then no one here cares. It is easy to buy bulk quantities of the most endangered rosewood tree for commercial use - as exposed by CNN-IBN's SIT.

All the SIT member had to do was locate a sawmill.

Southwood Industries, declared illegal by the Supreme Court in 2003 and still in operation is one of the many such illegal sawmills located on the fringes of the Nilgiri forests - ready to provide wood from endangered trees.

CNN-IBN SIT member: What wood is this ?

Southwood Industries owner: Rosewood.

CNN-IBN SIT member: How much is it for ?

Southwood Industries owner: Rs 36,000.

Inside Southwood Industries, there is an entire factory operating, working on illegally logged rosewood from one of India's richest forests, in defiance of the 1980 Indian Forest Act.

Once the deal was set with Southwood Industries, this is what the CNN-IBN SIT was told.

CNN-IBN SIT member: How often can you supply us raw material? On a monthly basis?

Southwood Industries owner: Monthly or weekly basis

CNN-IBN SIT member: We will take Rs 1 lakh worth right now.

Southwood Industries owner: You should book for at least Rs 1 lakh per month.

The SIT was told that everything would be taken care of, including transportation past the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border to Bangalore. Felling forest trees is big business and evidence can be found in shops that stock furniture made from wood of endangered trees.

India's forests are worth $72 billion and about 200 million people are dependent on them. But with the new Tribal Rights Act, it's no longer clear who is the protector and who is the manager - The Forest Department or the tribals?

And the main question is - who will prevent the timber mafia and commercial interests from eyeing India's forests?

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