May - Issue - 13 Vana Premi

May 2 0 1 3 VANA PREMI
49
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MAY - 2013
Vol .14
No.5
JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION OF RETIRED FOREST OFFICERS
ANDHRA PRADESH
Yearly Subscription - Rs. 200/-
1
1. President : Ex-Officio President of Assn.
2. Editor : Qamar Mohd. Khan
Tel : 40121132, 9849233624
e-mail : qamar_asima@yahoo.com
3. Associate
Editor : Sardar Iqbal Singh,
: 040-20081143, 9849909877
4. Member : A.H. Qureshi, IFS (Retd.)
5. Convenor : Ex-officio Secy.of Assn
VANA PREMI
Vol : 14 No.5 May - 2013
Editor : Qamar Mohd. Khan Associate Editor : Sardar Iqbal Singh
The Association of Retired Forest Officers,
Andhra Pradesh
President : Sri. S.D. Mukherji, I.F.S. (Retd.)
Tel : 23551065, 9885236493
Vice President : Sri. Krishna Bhoopal Rao, I.F.S. (Retd.)
Tel : 23743774, 9866307808
Secretary : Sri K. Santokh Singh, I.F.S. (Retd.)
Tel : 27962929, 9848808101
Jt. Secretary : Sri. P. Upender Reddy, Dy. C.F. (Retd.)
Cum Treasurer Tel. 23342582, 9848754778
Editorial Board
Contents
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VANA PREMI
1
Executive committee members
1. Sri C. Subba Rao, I.F.S. (Retd.), 9848018796
2. Sri Sultan Mohiuddin,I.F.S. (Retd.), 9440057333
3. Sri M. Padmanabha Reddy, I.F.S. (Retd.), 9849269105
4. Sri J.V. Subba Rao, 9848486146
5. Sri A. V. Govinda Rajulu, 9440764611
Total pages 48
1. Editorial ..................... QMK 2
2. Letters to Editor ....... 4
3. Eucalyptus Plantation and its Impact
on Village Economy .. S.D. Mukherji 5
4. Public Trust Doctrine & Forests
.................................... J.V. Sharma 14
5. Give the Body what it needs,
Not what we Want...Dr. B.R.R. Desai 19
6. Soul............P.V. Krishna Murthy 20
7. The Story of A Muslim Woman
and Brahmin Widow . 22
8. Crack Down on Fake Documents
to Curb Crime....
Gajanan Khergamker 24
9. Experiments of CJ Reddy
.................................... V.S. Joshi 27
10. Sparrows Still Chirp here and there
....... Govind D. Belgaumkar 28
11. Birthday Greetings.. Secretary 30
12. Raja Bahadur Venkatarama Reddy
Kotwal of Hyderabad 1920-1934 31
13. Leelabai, A 59-Year Old
Forest Guard in Kanha 36
14. Invitation ................... Secretary 37
15. Living Monuments...N. Shiva Kumar 38
16. News and Notes ....... 40
17. ccc. t ccc. . o. +s
18. Legal Notes............... K.B.R. 46
19. Obituary.......................K.B.R 48
2
World No Tobacco Day or World Anti-Tobacco
day: - World No Tobacco Day is observed around
the world every year on 31
st
May . The day is
intended to draw global attention to the
widespread prevalence of use of tobacco and
the negative health effects, which currently lead
to 5.4 million deaths worldwide annually.
According to a survey by the World Health
Organisation ( WHO), around 10 million
cigarettes are sold worldwide every minute.
Medical research made it clear that the use of
tobacco increases the likelihood of many
illnesses including heart attacks, strokes, chronic
obstructive pulmonary diseases and many forms
of cancer. Unfortunately, many people in todays
world cannot get themselves to quit, despite
knowing all about its ill effects. However, there
still seems to be hope as new applications aiding
the process of quitting are beginning to come
up on various platforms. It is meant to encourage
a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of
tobacco consumption across the globe. The day
has been met with both enthusiasm and
resistance across the globe from governments,
public health organizations, smokers, growers,
and the tobacco industry.
Tobacco is a product processed from the dried
leaves of a plant in the genus Nicotiana. Tobacco
is a name for any plant of the genus Nicotiana of
the Solanaceae family and for, the product
EDITORIAL
manufactured from the leaf used in cigars,
cigarettes, bidis, snuff, pipe tobacco, and
chewing tobacco. Virginia tobacco a variety of
tobacco which is used in the manufacture of
cigarettes is now grown chiefly in Turkey, India,
and Russia. In our state it is grown in Guntur,
Khammam, Karimnagar, Warangal, Krishna, East
and West Godavari districts. This is also known as
a cash crop. The addictive alkaloid nicotine is
popularly considered the most characteristic
constituent of tobacco but the harmful effects
of tobacco consumption can also derive from
the thousands of different compounds
generated in the smoke, including polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (such as benzopyrene,
(which is found in the cigarette smoke),
formaldehyde, cadmium, nickel, arsenic,
tobacco-specific nitrosamines, phenols, and
many others. In consumption most commonly
tobacco appears in the form of smoking,
chewing, and in the form of ghutka, a version of
chewing tobacco mixed with areca nut, catechu,
slaked lime and other condiments which is
popular in India. Though Ghutka is banned in
many states including A.P. yet it is used by addicts.
The usage of tobacco is an activity that is
practiced by some 1.1 billion people, and up to
1/3 of the adult population of the globe. The
World Health Organization (WHO) reports it to
be the leading preventable cause of death
3
worldwide and estimates that it currently causes
5.4 million deaths every year. Rates of smoking
have declined in developed countries, but
continue to rise in developing countries due to
lack of publicity and awareness.
Tobacco is cultivated similarly to other
agricultural crops. Seeds are sown and then
transplanted into the fields. Tobacco is an annual
crop, which is usually harvested by hand in our
country. After harvest, tobacco is stored for
curing, either by hanging or bundling. Curing
allows for the slow oxidation and degradation of
carotenoids. Following this, tobacco is packed
into its various forms of consumption, which
include smoking, chewing, snuffing, and so on.
Smoking causes lung cancer and other diseases
associated with smoke inhalation.
World No Tobacco Day is a day for people, non-
governmental organizations and governments
to organize various activities to make people
aware of the ill effects and health problems that
tobacco use can cause. These activities include:
Public marches and demonstrations, often
with vivid banners.
Advertising campaigns in print & electronic
media and educational programs.
People going to public places to
encourage people to stop smoking.
The introduction of bans on smoking in
particular places.
Meetings for anti-tobacco campaigners.
Let us all pledge on this no tobacco day that
due to the adverse and ill effects of tobacco we
will not consume tobacco in any and will
discourage others also from consumption of
tobacco in any form to live longer and healthier
and serve the society which has given all of us
everything.. QMK
MY DELICIOUS NEIGHBOUR
This is my neighbour:
Shes single ... She lives right across the street. I can see her house from my living room. I
watched as she got home from work this evening. I was surprised when she walked across
the street and up my driveway. She knocked on my door ... I rushed to open it. She looks at
me, and says, I just got home, and I am in mood to have loads of fun! I have this Strong urge
to have a good time, get drunk, and enjoy all night long! Are you busy tonight?
I immediately replied, Nope, Im free ... I have no plans at all!
Then she said, Good! In that case, could you watch my dog?
4
To
The Editor, Vana Premi.
Sir,
Terrorism is one of the grave challenges the
Nation is facing now and the article titled Is India
prepared for? by Mr. V. V. Hari Prasad, appearing
in April (2013) issue of Vana Premi, is timely. The
author deserves all the praise for bringing into
focus the scope and magnitude of the malady.
He has also provided an insight into steps taken
to tackle the terrorism.
Terrorism, whatever may be its objective, by its
very nature is uncivil. It is also inhuman as it seeks
to hurt the fellow humans. It is the extreme
opposite end of the concept of humanism. The
terrorism is always purpose driven. As the
author pointed out, Terrorism in the name of
religion is only one of the kinds of terrorism we
face. It is highly unjust to attribute it to any
religion or sect. It has no sanction of any religion
on globe. If anyone resorts to terrorism in the
name of religion, it is due to his/her not
understanding that religion or misunderstanding
it. Excessive display of religion and fanaticism
are the seeds from which religious terrorism
sprouts. As for the other kinds of terrorism,
including the Left Wing Extremism, the causes
are mainly socio-economic and political. Means
adopted to achieve the objectives, even when
the objectives are good, have to be honourable,
humane and civilized. Without meaning to
discount various measures taken by the
Government to combat terrorism, the most
effective way is to sensitise the society itself to
enable it to develop an inbuilt immunity
mechanism in the society. Every terrorist is born
in the society and cannot succeed as a terrorist if
the same society strongly disapproves terrorism.
It is heartening to see that Mr. Hari Prasad is
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
responding to issues that are relevant to society.
My compliments to him. I look forward to many
more such responses from him. Vana Premi is
becoming increasingly relevant under the
stewardship of its Editor, Mr Qamar Mohammed
Khan. The editorials bear testimony to his
commitment to the Journal.
Regards,
J.V. Sharma,

Dear Editor,
Convey my best wishes to C. Jagannath Reddy
in his tireless efforts in investigating advanced
methods of raising various forest species by
novel methods based on his field trials. In fact
his research needs to give national platform and
you people and your strong association will
definitely help him. Let God give him more and
more strength and long life.
Regards
Sharad varadkar

Sir:
The article in the April issue on the subject was
remarkably good: Foremost, a well-deserved
tribute to the octogenarian, C. Jagannath Reddy-
for his continuing interest in a carry-over cause
of his career that ended decades ago. Second
the very uniqueness of effort, involving large
tracts of land and other resources committed
by him to the cause. It is very gratifying that the
writer Shri Buchirama Reddy, (octogenarian
himself ) took time and troubles to visit the farm
and publish an informative article. Salutations
to Shri Jagannath Reddy, and all appreciation to
Shri Buchirama Reddy!
Sincerely,
A.V.Ramakrishna Rao
5
ITC initiated social forestry plantations on
private lands in 2001 to meet the twin
objectives- augmenting the production of pulp
wood for its paper mill and supporting the SCs
and STs- under its corporate social responsibility
(CSR) initiative. To understand the impact of the
programme 5 villages - Palamadugu,
Kannapuram, Boddugudem, Rajeevnagar and
Rottagutta- were visited on 27
th
and 28
th
of
February 2013. The impression gathered, after
discussion with the beneficiaries and ITC field
officers, is summarized as follows.
Palamadugu village: - Palamadugu village in
Laxmipuram Gram Panchayat of Bhadrachalam
mandal, Khammam district is located about 22
km from Bhadrachalam. Most of the families own
land but remained poor as agriculture was not
profitable under dry conditions and uncertainty
of normal rainfall. Almost fifty per cent of the
land remained fallow due to lack of resources.
Earlier the villagers were able to get some non-
timber forest products (NTFP) from the adjoining
forests that supported the families in hard days.
However, with the degradation of forests it lost
most of its NTFP depriving the tribals of the
benefits.
P.Veeraswamy, s/o Ramaswamy aged about 40
years, Caste: Koya S.T. is a resident of this village.
EUCALYPTUS PLANTATION AND ITS
IMPACT ON VILLAGE ECONOMY
By
S. D. Mukhe rji
He owns 6 acres of dry land. He was growing
Jowar, Maize, different varieties of Millets, Red
gram and some other crop in three acres leaving
the rest fallow for want of resources. The yield
and income from dry lands due to uncertain
rainfall was not sufficient to support the family.
He worked on daily wages to support the family.
He switched to chilly, cotton and red gram on
one acre each, with the hope of better income.
The cash crops improved the income in a year
of normal rainfall. However, drought, at regular
intervals, became a major cause of poor yield
and income from agriculture. Moreover, he was
not able to supply the required inputs-
improved seed, fertilizer and pesticide that was
necessary for good yield and income due to
financial constraint. Thus, even after hard work
it was difficult to meet the growing expenses
of the family. Almost all the villagers faced
similar situation.
In the year 2001 ITC approached the villagers
to grow Eucalyptus on patta lands with the
assurance to support for land development and
supply of fast growing, high yielding and
disease tolerant ITC Bhadrachalam clones for
plantation @ 600 plants per acre to be planted
at an espacement of 2x3metres. The company
assured buy back of Eucalyptus on maturity at
6
the prevailing market rate. As sizeable land was
lying fallow due to paucity of resources, 25
families came forward to take up the plantation
in about 36 acres. Mr. Veeraswamy developed 2
acres of his fallow land and planted Eucalyptus
in 2001. Plantation was harvested in the year
2005, yielding about 20 tonnes and income of
Rs 31,936. The second cut was made in 2009,
yielding 22 tons and income of Rs 26,000. He
uprooted Eucalyptus after the second rotation
and planted cotton. With the cash in hand
Veeraswamy was able to buy better quality seed
and provide other inputs to grow cotton that was
more profitable. The return from agriculture
improved as he was able to cultivate on all his 6
acres land and supply the required inputs in time
from the income generated from the plantations.
Thus plantation supported agriculture and made
it profitable. Veeraswamy financial status has
improved. He has constructed a pucca house, his
children are studying and his family is fed well.
He is planning to restart planting of Eucalyptus
as the rate of Eucalyptus wood has gone up from
Rs 1600 per tonne in 2005 to Rs 4000 per tonne
in 2013 and likely to go up further. Moreover,
there is a new agro-forestry model that
accommodates 800 plants of Eucalyptus planted
in rows at spacing of 1 meter by 1.5 meter
leaving 8.5 meter between two rows for
cultivation of agriculture crop. He believes, this
new model would further improve his economic
condition and he would give higher education
to his children.
Sri Sita Ramayya, another beneficiary from the
same village, planted Eucalyptus on 1.8 acres
in 2001. He harvested the crop in 2004, yielding
18 tonnes and income of Rs 27,000. The second
rotation from the coppice shoot was harvested
in 2009. It yielded 20 tonnes and income of Rs
26,000. The plantation is now in its third rotation
and expected to be harvested in late 2013 with
estimated yield of 25 tonnes and income
exceeding Rs one lakh due to better rate. He
also planted additional 3 acres in 2008. It was
harvested in January 2013 with an yield of 40
tonnes and income of Rs 1, 30,000. With the
income generated from the Eucalyptus
plantations, Sitaramiah has developed his
balance land that was lying fallow and growing
cotton and chilly with good return. He has built
a pucca house, purchased a two wheeler, and
supporting his children for higher studies.
Income from Eucalyptus plantations has given
a new life and he is assured of sustained income
and better days in future.
In Palamadagu village, as on February 2013,
there were 84 beneficiaries and plantation on
166.53 acres. 28 beneficiaries have harvested
62.53 acres of plantations yielding 655 tonnes
of wood and income of Rs 11, 10,074. The
income from the Eucalyptus plantations has
supported agricultural by developing their
fallow lands and supply of inputs for profitable
agriculture. The prosperity among the
beneficiaries is reflected by the use of cell
phones, two wheelers, television, and
7
investment on the education of their children.
Most of the beneficiaries have built pucca houses.
The beneficiaries have formed a sangha where
part of the cost of seedlings supplied by ITC was
deposited. This amount was kept in a bank
account and used as revolving fund to provide
loan to the beneficiaries. This has saved the
beneficiaries from the clutches of money lender
to a great extent.
Kannapuram village: -Kannapuram village
comes under Laxmipur panchayat of
Bhadrachalam mandal, about 30 km from
Bhadrachalam and connected by black top road.
There are about 90 families in the village, all
belonging to Koya, ST. Almost all the families own
land. Average land holding is about 6 acres of dry
land. The main agriculture crops grown here are
cotton and chilly. This village has also taken up
plantation of Eucalyptus under ITC social forestry
programme.
Sri S.Bamayya son of Narayana aged about 45
years is one of the beneficiaries. His father had
four sons and 30 acres of land. So each brother
got 7.5 acres of land. Bamayya has 2 sons and 2
daughters. He was growing agriculture crop on
4 acres and the balance land was lying fallow as
he could not develop it due to paucity of funds.
The yield was poor because of uncertain rainfall
and lack of inputs. He was finding difficulty in
meeting the family needs. He wanted to improve
his income so that his children can get proper
education and not remain illiterate like him. He
came to know about the Eucalyptus plantations
in Palamadugu village and found it attractive.
He approached ITC, developed his fallow land
of 3.5 acres and planted ITC Bhadrachalam
clones in 2003. The plantation was felled in the
year 2007. The yield was about 40 tonnes valued
Rs 70,000 (Rs 1750 per tonne). The second
rotation crop was harvested in 2011. It yielded
about 65 tonnes valued about Rs1.17 lakhs (Rate
Rs 1950 per tonne). The third rotation harvest is
expected in 2015 with yield similar to the
second rotation but more than double the value
as the rate of eucalyptus wood has gone up to
Rs 4070 per tonne and likely to go up further by
the time the plantation is harvested. He has
utilized the income from Eucalyptus plantations
in the following manner:
1 Built a pucca house of about 500 sq ft. of
floor area.
2 Purchased an Auto in 2008 by paying Rs
40,000 cash and loan of Rs 1, 60,000. He
put the auto on hire and made some
money. The loan amount was paid partly
from the savings of hire charges and partly
from the amount received from the sale
of second rotation crop of Eucalyptus. The
auto was sold in 2012 for Rs 35,000.
3 Purchased a two wheeler for Rs 32,000 in
2010 for own use.
4 Improved the agriculture land by taking
up soil and moisture conservation works.
The inputs to the crops were supplied in
8
time. The impact of this was almost
doubling the crop yield as compared to
past.
5 Provided better education to his children.
The eldest daughter of Bamayya is now 24 years
old. She passed intermediate in 2012 and joined
4 years nursing training. Second daughter,
Summakha, is studying in 10
th
class. Third son,
Prasad, studied up to 9
th
class and then
discontinued the study and helping the family
in agriculture and other works. The fourth son,
Durga Rao, is studying in 9
th
class. Bamayya grows
paddy in one acre and gets about 20 bags of
paddy, each bag of 75 kgs, if the rainfall is normal;
another 2 acres under cotton, average yield
about 5 quintals and goes up to 8 quintals in good
season; another one acre under chilly, average
yield of 10 quintals and goes up to 15 quintals in
good season. The introduction of Eucalyptus has
changed his life. He is a happy man and felt proud
to narrate his achievements after the support
from ITC.
Sri Poonam Venkat Rao son of Passayya, aged 40
years is another beneficiary in this village. He
owns 12 acres of land but was using only 25 per
cent of his land for agriculture and rest was left
undeveloped for want of resources. The yield was
subjected to rainfall. He was finding difficulty to
supply agriculture inputs and hence yield was
far less than its potential. Family was leading a
very difficult life. In 2004 he developed 3.7 acres
of land with the help of ITC and planted
Eucalyptus. The first harvesting was done in
2008, yielding 70 tonnes and income of Rs 1.40
lakh by selling @Rs 2000 per tonne. With this
money he developed additional 6 acres of his
land. 3 acres were put to agriculture and 3 acres
under Eucalyptus. The second crop on 3.7 acres
was harvested in 2012 yielding 85 tonnes. He
got Rs 1.87 lakh by selling the wood @ Rs. 2200
per tonne. In 2012 he also felled his 3 acres
plantation of 2008. It yielded 63 tonnes and sold
@ Rs 2200 per tonne giving income of Rs 1.38
lakh. With the money from the plantations he
purchased a tractor for Rs 6.00 lakh. Made a
down payment of Rs 2.00 lakh and took loan
from Mahindra Finance for the balance amount.
Now he has 6.70 acres under Eucalyptus
plantation and 5.30 under agriculture crop. With
the tractor he is able to improve both his
agriculture and plantation by ploughing the
land yearly twice for conservation of moisture
and loosening the soil for better growth of the
crop. His yield from agriculture has already
improved and expects better yield from the
plantation crop in future. He is able to make
some money by putting the tractor on hire
when not needed for his own purpose. This is
giving good income to pay the loan instalments.
The introduction of Eucalyptus has changed his
life for the better and he expects further
improvement in future.
There are 75 beneficiaries in this village
covering 195.60 acres of land. 122 acres of
Plantations were felled by 51 beneficiaries in
9
year 2006, 08, 10 and 12 yielding in all 1350
tonnes of wood. Total amount accrued is Rs 24,
30,000. The farmers have put about half the land
on agriculture and half under plantation. The
general condition of the families has markedly
improved since the plantations came to
harvesting. Families have improved their houses,
all children-both girls and boys- are going to
school, land that was left unutilized has been
developed and put to agriculture/plantation,
agriculture crop yield has almost doubled,
beneficiaries possess two wheeler, cell phone,
television sets and having two square meals
without exception. Some 30 families have
savings account in the bank and taken LIC Policy
for a secured life. They look forward for a better
future to live in peace and dignity.
Boddugudem village: -Boddugudem village
comes under Gommu Kothagudem panchayat
in Bhadrachalam mandal, 30 km from
Bhadrachalam manadal head quarter. I t is
connected by a pucca road. All families are Koya,
ST. All families, except four, have land with
average land holding of about 6 acres of dry land.
Major crop grown are paddy, cotton, Red gram
and chilly. There are 60 families in the village.
Plantation of Eucalyptus was started from 2003.
Smt. Yerpa Kanamma, w/o Late Ramesh, aged 40
years owns 6 acres of land. She was growing
paddy, cotton and jowar mixed with red gram in
2 acres each. The yield was poor as she was not
able to supply proper inputs. In 2003 she
planted Eucalyptus on 2 acres in place of jowar
and red gram. The plantation was felled in 2007
giving income of Rs 55,000. The second cut was
in 2010 when she earned Rs 80,000 and third
cut in 2013 also gave her Rs 80,000. This year
she intends to replant after up rootal of stumps.
She has three sons. The eldest son studied up to
5
th
class and taking care of the land. The second
son is working as field assistant in MGNREGS on
contract basis with salary of Rs 5000 a month.
The youngest is doing Bachelor of Physical
Education. It is one year course and 8 months
are over. Smt. Kanamma spent Rs 35,000 in
admission to the course and pays Rs 3000
monthly to meet expenses. She says her two
sons could be properly educated because of
the income from the plantation.
Smt. Payam Bhadramma, w/o Virayya, aged 59
years, owns 3 acres of land.1 acre is under paddy,
1 acre under cotton and 1 acre under Eucalyptus
plantation since 2003. She also has a share in
the joint property, her husband with two
brothers, on 8 acres of Eucalyptus plantation
planted in 2003. The plantations were felled in
2007 that gave her Rs 35,000 from her own land
and Rs 60,000 from the plantation under joint
ownership. The second cut of the plantation
gave Rs 40,000 from her 1 acre that was used
for her daughters B. Ed course. The share from
the joint plantation was used for house
construction and other expenses, including
education of her children. The income from
plantations has supported the family for better
education of the children, a house to live and
assurance for a better future.
10
Out of 52 households in the village 106
beneficiaries have taken up the plantation.
About 220 acres have been planted. All the
plantations have been harvested yielding 4670
tonnes and an income of Rs 85.24 lakhs. The
plantation programme initiated by ITC has
transformed the village economy for a better
livelihood and insurance for the future. The
income from the plantations has been ploughed
in to agriculture. Use of quality seeds,
improvement in soil conditions by up rootal of
unwanted root stocks, levelling and Bunding for
soil and moisture conservation, timely supply of
fertilizer and pesticide has been possible from
the cash in hand from the sale of harvested
plantations. Similarly the families have acquired
cell phones, two wheelers, television sets and
freedom from hunger. The changed economic
condition has made it possible to give better
education to the children, both girls and boys-
including higher education. The future looks still
better as more families are likely to embrace
the plantation programme based on the success
visible.
Rajeevnagar village: -Rajeevnagar village
comes under Amravaram panchayat, Kukkunuru
mandal of khammam district. There are 495
households in the village and total population
of 1730. The lands are dry with no source of
irrigation.
Sri Kesari Bujaru s/o Sarayya, aged 64 years is a
permanent resident of the village where his
forefathers also lived. He passed 8
th
class and
owns 8 acres of land. He was growing Jowar,
Millet, Red gram and Horse gram but due to
high lands and absence of irrigation the crop
yield was dependent on rainfall. In the year of
poor rainfall there was hardly any crop and even
the fodder for the cattle was scarce. On an
average the yield and income was not sufficient
to take care of the family needs. Therefore, he
and his wife had to go for daily wage works to
look after the three sons.
In the year 2003 ITC came with a package to
help in Eucalyptus plantation programme that
included land development- up rootal of
unwanted root-stock and deep ploughing with
tractors to absorb rain water- and supply of ITC
Bhadrachalam clones for plantation @ 600
plants per acre. The company assured of buy
back of Eucalyptus on maturity at the prevailing
market rate. In the light of poor yield from
agriculture the ITC proposal looked attractive.
Sri Kesari agreed to plant 2.5 acres. The land
preparation was completed in 2003-04 and
actual plantation was done in 2004 rains. It was
harvested in 2008 yielding 50 tonnes of wood
and income of Rs 90,000. During that time his
youngest son had sudden attack of cerebral
malaria. The sickness was so serious that boy
was in coma and his life was in danger. He was
immediately shifted to Nagraj hospital at
Kothagudem. Due to timely treatment he
recovered. The expenditure on the treatment
was about Rs 60,000. Bujaru says that the cash
from the plantation came to his rescue to save
11
the life of his son. He also used the income for
better education of his children. Seeing the
benefit from plantation, another 4 acres of land
was brought under plantation in 2009. The 2004
plantation suffered wind damages in 2011 and
hence it had to be harvested, that gave 56 tonnes,
sold @ Rs 1950 per tonne and got an income of
Rs 1.09 lakh. He utilized the amount for the
construction of pucca house. Due to proper
education of his sons from the plantation income
his eldest son is now a school teacher, the second
son has completed B. Ed. and looking for a job.
The youngest son completed his degree and
joined Air force.
The 2009 plantation of 4 acres is getting ready
for harvest this year. He expects an yield of about
80 tonnes and income of about three lakh as the
rate of Eucalyptus wood per tonne has crossed
Rs 4000/- and likely to go up further. The last cut
from 2004 plantation is expected in 2015 and
after that it will be replanted. Sri Bujaru has
plantation on 6.5 acres and agriculture on 1.5
acres. He grows Cotton, Red gram, Jowar and
Cow pea (good for fodder) and getting better
yield as he is able to provide timely inputs.
Sri Kesari Bugaru is now a contended man. He is
living a happy life with his family. Two elder sons
have been married. He is assured of income for
the future and his health reflects the
contentment. He and his family look after the
plantations and agriculture. There is no need for
the family to go out for wage employment. He
has planted number of fruit plants around his
house. He says that with all the trees growing
he wants to prove that the tribals love trees. In
all there are 45 beneficiaries of the plantation
programme in this village with total coverage
of about 78 acres. So far 40 acres have been
harvested yielding 570 tonnes of wood valued
at Rs 11.40 lakh. However, with the introduction
of agro-forestry model where 800 Eucalyptus
plants can be grown in rows 8.5 metres apart,
leaving major area for the agricultural crop,
there is likelihood of more farmers joining the
programme of tree plantation.
Rottagutta village: -Rottagutta village falls
under Upperu gram panchayat in Kukkunuru
mandal of Khammam district. There are 75
families in the village; all are scheduled tribe of
Koya community. The average land holding per
family is about 5 acres. In spite of land
ownership the people were poor as the yield
from dry lands, without adequate inputs, was
uneconomical. The introduction of Eucalyptus
plantation has brought about a major
improvement in the village economy as
discussed below.
Sri M.Rajiah s/o Bhadriah, aged 37 years owns 5
acres of dry land. He was cultivating Jowar, Red
gram, Millets, and Til. Due to poor yield the
family was surviving mostly on Millet soup and
less of regular meals. Since 2000 cash crop,
Chilly and Cotton was introduced that improved
the income to some extent on normal rainfall
year. However, optimum yield was never
achieved due to lack of proper inputs. Hence
12
the yield from agriculture was never sufficient
to meet the family needs.
In 2003 ITC came with the proposal for
Eucalyptus plantation with assurance of support
on land development, up rootal of stumps and
deep ploughing, supply of ITC Bhadrachalam
clones @ 600 plants per acre and buy back of
wood on maturity. This looked attractive
proposition. Rajiah agreed to plant 3.5 acres. He
completed the land preparation in 2003 and
planted Eucalyptus in 2004. The plantation was
harvested in 2008. It yielded 60 tonnes of wood
and sold @ Rs 1800 per tonne giving Rs 1, 08,000.
The amount was utilized for reviving the LIC
policy for which premium was not paid since
last 5 years. Part of the amount was utilized to
dig a deep bore well for giving irrigation to Chilly
and Cotton crop. He also utilized the money to
purchase hybrid cotton seed and provide
fertilizer and pesticide in time. The cotton yield
went up from 1.5 quintal per acre to more than
6 quintals. However, he was unable to use the
bore well water as the village was not provided
with electricity. In 2012 he felled 1.5 acres and
sold at Rs 1950 per tonne giving a return of Rs
43,000/-. He did not harvest 2 acres of plantation
with the hope that rates were likely to go up.
This has proved a wise decision as the rate has
already reached Rs 4000 per tonne and likely to
go up. He plans to fell this plantation in late 2013
that is likely to yield 40 tonnes and income of
about Rs1.60 lakh. His other three brothers have
3.5 acres of plantation with each, and his father
owns 3 acres of plantation. Thus all combined
the income has gone up significantly. Sri Rajiah
has constructed a pucca house, spending Rs 5
lakh. For this he has taken LIC loan of Rs 30,000/
- and rest from his brothers and father with the
hope of paying the loans from Eucalyptus
plantations. Once the plantation is harvested
for three rotations he plans to switch on to agro-
forestry model of plantation so that both
agriculture and plantation can be done
simultaneously.
Sixty families in this village have taken up
Eucalyptus plantation covering area of about
143 acres since 2004. 111 acres of matured
plantations have been harvested, yielding 1330
tonnes of wood and income of Rs 23, 94,000.
Villagers are very happy with the return from
the plantations. The cash in hand has been
ploughed into agriculture that has improved
its productivity and income. Some of the
villagers have already switched over to agro-
forestry model this year and many more are
likely to follow with the expectation of better
return from plantation and agriculture per unit
area. The cash generated from the plantations
has markedly improved the general condition
of the participating families in terms of food
intake, education of children, housing and other
necessities of modern living.
Conclusion: - The primitive tribal groups,
Koyas, have suffered hunger and malnutrition
year after year in spite of land ownership. Most
13
of the families were forced to leave a major part
of their land fallow for want of resources.
Agriculture on dry lands with limited supply of
inputs and uncertainty of rains was never a
paying proposition. Government effort for
improving the tribal economy lacked
penetration due to administrative lapses. Forests
that were once a source of tribal livelihood lost
its impact due to rapid degradation.
Government decision to give patta to the tribals
on encroached forestlands under FRA was no
relief to the tribal economy as they were unable
to use the land already in their possession. On
the other hand government decision
encouraged forest degradation and new
encroachments. ITC which was expanding its
paper production was facing crisis to meet the
pulpwood requirement as supply from FD had
almost dried out. They were dependent on the
farmers to raise plantations of Eucalyptus with
high yielding variety developed by the ITC
Bhadrachalam. However, the poor tribal farmers
were unable to avail this opportunity as initial
cost was beyond their reach. This opportunity
was picked up by the ITC through its social
forestry programme under CSR. They came to
the door steps of the poor tribal with the
assurance of land development and supply of
quality seedlings for growing Eucalyptus
plantations with the assurance of buy back of
the harvested produce. The tribals having land
but left fallow for want of resources found a new
ray of hope. They came forward to grow
Eucalyptus plantation in their fallow lands. As
the plantations were harvested with good
return their economy improved and more
tribals joined the programme. The total area
under ITCs initiative in Khammam district
stands at 10,649 hectares involving 5698
families who have supplied 1.2 lakh tonnes of
wood to ITC Bhadrachalam, earning income of
Rs 21.84 crore. The tribal have invested their
earning from the plantations into productive
agriculture, better education to their daughters
and sons, equipped with cell phones, Television
sets, two wheelers, a pucca house to live and
freedom from hunger. The future looks
promising with the introduction of agro-
forestry model that ensures better return from
plantation along with agriculture crops.
Growing trees on non-forestlands increases soil
carbon and offsets carbon emission that leads
to climate change. Therefore, the agro-forestry
model promises a green and better
environment with better income both from
agriculture and plantations. It is a win-win
situation for poor tribals and the paper industry.
Forest Department and Tribal Welfare
Department may look into it and adopt suitable
plantation programme to improve the tribal
economy and the environment.
14
According to Article 141 of the Constitution of India, law declared by Supreme Court shall be
binding on all courts within the territory of India. Article 142 empowers the Supreme Court to pass
a decree or an order as is necessary for doing complete justice in any cause or matter and any
decree so passed or order so made shall be enforceable throughout the territory of India. It is an
accepted fact that the jurisdiction and powers of our Supreme Court are in their nature and extent
wider than those exercised by the highest Court of any country. It is at once a federal Court, a Court
of appeal and a guardian of the Constitution, and the law declared by it, in the exercise of any of its
jurisdictions under the Constitution, is binding on all other Courts within the territory of India.
It is of common knowledge that the Executive, at times, tends to embark upon making laws to
meet the political exigencies which do not strictly adhere to the limitations placed in the
Constitution. The Parliament, the supreme law-making body, does not offer the needed resistance
in such circumstances in our model of democracy, in as much as, the majority in the Houses is
controlled by the Prime Minister, the Head of the Executive. In a way, the Parliament with all its
primacy in legislation renders itself captive to Executive. Though the legislature and Executive are
expected to function independently of each other, there is in fact a visible nexus between them.
The Executive intent gets translated into Legislative sanction simply because the Prime Minister
enjoys the confidence of the Parliament. The wisdom of the Parliament in such cases does not go
beyond the demands of the Executive. The Nation has seen too many examples of important Bills
being cleared without sufficient debate in the Parliament. Can anyone say that silence of Parliament
is its wisdom! The President of India, being a part of Parliament, can think of some curative measures
but the scope and extent of such measures can only be limited and restrained.
Case in point is again the Forest Rights Act, 2006. It was passed by both the Houses of Parliament
in a matter of a few hours. In such cases, the wisdom of Parliament has to come into question, for
the issue is important and serious where the interests of the most backward section of the society
needs to be reconciled with the environmental concerns of the entire nation of which the target
group of the legislation is also a part. As against the unconstitutional acts of the Executive the
jurisdiction of the Courts is nearly the same under all constitutional systems. But not so is the
control of the judiciary over the Legislature.
PUBLIC TRUST DOCTRINE & FORESTS
By
J. V. Sharma
15
There is no express provision in the Constitution empowering the Courts to invalidate laws but
the Constitution imposed definite limitations upon each of the organs, and any transgression of
these limitations would make the law void. It is for the Courts to decide whether any of the
Constitutional limitations has been transgressed or not, because the Constitution is the organic
law subject to which ordinary laws are made by the Legislature which itself is set up by the
Constitution.
Having challenged the provisions of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers
(Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 in High Court, it has been my quest to look for areas where
the said legislation transgressed the Constitutional limitations and the law lay down by the Apex
Court. Besides the transgressions already pointed out, Public Trust Doctrine is yet another area
which was ignored by the legislation.
A young Supreme Court lawyer by name Ritwick Dutta has done yeomen service to environment
by bringing out a valuable book Supreme Court on Forest Conservation. In a way environmental
concerns came to attract the attention of Apex Court in a big way when a Writ Petition was filed to
address specific instances of tree felling was enlarged in its scope to include all the States and
Union Territories. Two petitions viz. Environmental Awareness Forum and T. N. Godavarman Thirumal
pad Vs. Union of India were used as umbrella for filing numerous Interventions/Applications. The
case came to be popularly known as the Godavarman case. Over a period of 10 years from 1996 to
2006 several cases were heard and as many as 157 orders were passed by the Supreme Court in
Godavarman case. Many of the orders are land mark pronouncements which became the law of
the land.
I proceed to extract some important observations on forests, environment and the Public Trust
Doctrine made by a Supreme Court Bench comprising of Y. K Sabharwal, Arijit Pasayat & S. H.
Kapadia, JJ in WP (C) No. 202/95 with I.A. No. 826in I.A. No. 566 in W.P. (C) 202of 1995 (T.N. Godavarman
Thirumulpad V. Union of India) along with other petitions decided on 26.09.2005.
Natural resources are the assets of entire nation. It is the obligation of all concerned including
Union Government and State Governments to conserve and not waste these resources. Article
48A of the Constitution of India requires the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the
environment and to safeguard the forest and wildlife of the country. Under Article 51A, it is the duty
of every citizen to protect and improve the natural improvement including forest, lakes, rivers and
wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures.
16
Forests are a vital component to sustain the life support system on earth. Forests in India have been
dwindling over the years for a number of reasons, one of it being the need to use the forest area for
development activities including economic development. Undoubtedly, in any nation development
is also necessary but it has to be consistent with protection of environments and not at the cost of
degradation of environments. Any programme, policy or vision for overall development has to evolve
a systematic approach so as to balance economic development and environmental protection. Both
have to go hand in hand. In ultimate analysis, economic development at the cost of degradation of
environments and depletion of forest cover would not be long lasting. Such development would be
counterproductive. Therefore, there is an absolute need to take all precautionary measures when
forest lands are sought to be directed for non-forest use.
The duty to preserve natural resources in pristine purity has been highlighted in M. C. Mehta V
Kamal Nath & Ors., (1997) 1 SCC 388. After considering the opinion of various renowned authors
and decisions rendered by other countries as well on environment and ecology, this Court held
that the notion that the public has a right to expect certain lands and natural areas to retain their
natural characteristics is finding its way into law of the land. The Court accepted the applicability
of public trust doctrine and held that it was founded on the ideas that certain common properties
such as rivers, sea-shore, forests and the air were held by the Government in trusteeship for the
free and unimpeded use of the general public. These natural resources have a great importance to
the people as a whole that it would be wholly unjustified to make them subject to private
ownership. These resources being a gift of nature should be made freely available to everyone
irrespective of the status in life. The doctrine enjoins upon the Government to protect the resources
for the enjoyment of the general public rather than permit their use for private ownership or
commercial purposes. It was held that our legal system based on English Common Law includes
the public trust doctrine as part of its jurisprudence. The State is the trustee of all natural resources
which are by nature meant for public use and enjoyment. Public at large is the beneficiary of these
resources. The State as a trustee is under a legal duty to protect these natural resources.
If there is a law made by Parliament or the legislatures, the courts can serve as an instrument of
determining the legislative intent in the exercise of powers of judicial review under the Constitution.
But in the absence of legislation, the executive acting under the doctrine of public trust cannot
abdicate the natural resources and convert them into private ownership, or for commercial use.
The aesthetic use and the pristine glory of the natural resources, the environment and ecosystems
of our country cannot be permitted to be eroded for private, commercial or any other use unless
the courts find it necessary, in good faith, for public good and in public interest to encroach upon
the said resources.
17
.. To further tighten the management and regulation, the Forest Conservation Act of 1980 was
enacted. It became necessary for conservation of forests on realising that there has been large
scale of deforestation which is causing ecological imbalance leading to environmental
deterioration. This led to enactment of FC Act providing for prohibition for use of forest land for
non-forest purpose by any one including the State government or other authorities except with
the prior approval of the Central Government. This legislation was enacted, as already noted, after
Forest and Wildlife were taken out from the State List and placed in the Concurrent List. At the
same time, Article 48A was inserted in the Constitution of India for protection and improvement
of environments and safeguarding forest and wildlife in the year 1977. The basic objectives leading
to the laying down of the National Forest Policy, 1988, may also be noted and also the need and
requirement for its enforcement. This policy was framed on realising that 1952 Forest Policy for
management of State forest in the country had not halted the depletion of forests. It was therefore
considered necessary to evolve a fresh policy for future to lay down new strategies for forest
conservation which had become imperative. Conservation includes preservation, maintenance,
sustainable utilization, restoration and enhancement of the natural environment. The principal
aim of the Forest Policy is to ensure environmental stability and maintenance of ecological balance
including atmospheric equilibrium which is vital for sustenance of all life forms, human, animal
and plant. The derivation of direct economic benefit must be subordinated to this principal aim.
The forest policy has a statutory flavour. The non-fulfilment of aforesaid principal aim would be
violative of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.
The damage to environment is damage to the countrys assets as a whole. Ecology knows no
boundaries. It can have impact on the climate. The principles and parameters for valuation of the
damage have to be evolved also keeping in view the likely impact of activities on future generation.
Taking an overall view, it is important for the nation that in certain areas where natural forest
exists, the same should be preserved and at the same time the Central Government should consider
whether the deficient States should not be asked to contribute towards preservation of existing
forest cover and the compensation/incentive given to the forest rich States to preserve and
regenerate forests.
The national development agenda must recognise the necessity of protecting the long term
ecological security. The problem area is the growing population, high degree of mechanism and
steep rise in energy use which has led to activities that directly or indirectly affect the sustainability
of environment.
18
It is recognised that the sustainable use of biodiversity is fundamental to ecological sustainable.
The loss of biodiversity stems from destruction of habitat, extension of agriculture, filling up of
wetlands, conversion of rich biodiversity sites for human settlement & industrial development,
destruction of coastal areas and uncontrolled commercial exploitation. It is thus evident that the
preservation of ecosystems, biodiversity and environment whether examined on common law
principle or statutory principle or constitutional principle eying from any angle it is clearly a
national issue to be tackled at the national level. All initiatives are required to seriously pursue.
Dealing with inter-generational justice, it has been rightly observed that posterity shall not be
treated like dirt. In an article published in 2003 Columbia Journal, of Environmental Law (28 Colum.
J. Envil. L. 185), the author says that the way in which a society cares or does not care for its dirt and
its land, reflects the degree to which it cares or does not care for its own long-term future.
We may also briefly refer to Public Trust Doctrine and its applicability to the matters under
consideration. The Public Trust Doctrine looks beyond the need of the present generation and also
suggests that certain resources are invested with a special nature. It would be instructive to make
a note of a story given in by Timothy Patrick Brady in Boston College Environmental Affairs Law
Review, spring 1990 under the title But most of it belongs to those yet to be born. .. .. The
moral of the story is that we are trustees of natural resources which belong to all including future
generation as well. The Public Trust Doctrine has to be used to protect the right of this as also future
generation.
The object of the FC Act and EP Act is protection of environments. These Acts do not deal with any
property rights of any one.
The law of the land as laid down by the Supreme Court makes it abundantly clear that:
1. The state is the trustee of natural resources and is legally bound to protect and preserve them.
2. The State does not enjoy unfettered liberty to divert forests for non-forest use.
3. Diversion of forest land by executive order in a routine way is not permissible under the law.
4. Even if the diversion is by legislation, it will be subject to judicial review.
5. Natural resources are the public trust.
6. This generation does not have exclusive right to misuse the public trust.
7. Future generation has as much right over the public trust as this generation has.
19
Many years ago a colleague of mine
philosophically asked whether I would give up
eating altogether if food was not needed for my
survival. Though my immediate response was
yes, but later while having dinner that evening
I thought about it as I glanced at the few favorite
dishes of mine which were laid on the dining
table, and realized after a rethink that I am too
used to taste and to satiate hunger to give up
food altogether, because it is the taste that holds
the reins while eating!
The caption above appears to me to be a dietary
advice rather than a suggestion by a wise health
expert because obviously it is mixed with
philosophy in the advice, and appears to me to
be actually food for thought in reality. You may
be wondering how?
Please read the caption again: We are to give the
body what it needs, not what we want. You will
now notice that there is an effort to make a
distinction between needs and want as both
are distinct entities. The health expert
distinguishes between you and your body, and
between what you consume as food and what
your body which is the physical frame full of
bones, blood, muscles etc., actually needs for
its nourishment.
But are we drawing a distinct line as is being
suggested, or in other words can we really eat or
GIVE THE BODY WHAT IT NEEDS, NOT WHAT WE WANT
By
Dr. B Raghot ham Rao De s ai,
drink only that which our body needs? When
our body is craving for just a glass of plain water,
we gulp down a bottle of Thumps Up or Coca
Cola, which we want but the body doesnt need
actually. Again, when the body is asking for a
simple desi-chapathi we are stuffing the
stomach with a Videsi-pizza. Poor body, as it has
no means to shut the alimentary-canal to block
what is being thrust through it. It has no
alternative than quietly accept what we feed it
with and can only register its protest in the form
of some ailment or the other.
These days, when clever advertising is creating
new dishes and drinks and eateries, which are
being presented in so many colorful ways, with
endorsements from the high and the mighty
of the glamour-world, our old taste-buds are
being knocked out. The menu-cards are not only
being redesigned but are being redrawn to
create new taste-buds, as presentation is being
increasingly found more important than the
product.
Perhaps, the body will surely be grateful if only
we can draw a line to separate the needs from
wants, as any dietician will willingly & gladly
suggest, and this holds good particularly for the
generation of geriatrics, which has indeed much
larger readership of Vana Premi.
20
There is an activity, as we observed, taking place
in the other realm at the time of the departure
from this body. This is compared to the activity
of a caterpillar or a leech when it moves from
one leaf to another or from one spot to another
on the same leaf. What it does is, it thrusts its
hind part forward and then projects its fore part
forward. Then it fixes the fore part on the leaf and
withdraws the hind part, bringing it forward. Then
again it projects its fore part. Like that, it goes on
moving. It will not lift the hind part unless the
fore part is fixed. Likewise tad yath t[G ajalyuk,
t[G asyntaA gatv, anyam kramam kramya,
tmnam upasaA harati, evam evyam tm the old
body is not left unless proper arrangement is
already made elsewhere. When you go on a
journey, you do not suddenly go. You find out
where you are going and what arrangements
have to be made there for your stay by
correspondence and enquiries, etc. Likewise,
even without your consciously thinking of the
destination, forces of nature begin to work for
you. They spontaneously work, and that
preparation that is being made there to receive
you to another realm is the foot that you have
kept there already before you lift the other foot
from this world. It is not a physical foot that you
have placed, but a feeler which has connected
you with the future realm in a very subtle manner.
This shows the interconnectedness of all things.
SOUL
By
P. V. Kris hna Murt hy
We are not cast into the winds by forces of which
we have no knowledge. Everything is connected
with us, and all the forces of nature keep an eye
over us. Exactly in the manner in which it is
necessary for us to have experiences in the
future life, in that particular manner alone do
the forces of nature work
Just as a goldsmith takes a little gold from here
and a little gold from there and puts these
pieces of gold into a melting pot, boils the
pieces making them into one lump and gives a
new shape to this lump, even so a new body is
formed out of the ingredients collected from
nature. The goldsmith does not create new gold.
He only creates a new shape of the gold after
melting it in a furnace. That is how he prepares
ornaments, etc. Likewise, the material forces,
earth, water, fire, air, and ether are the elements
out of which bodies are formed. The present
body is made up of these elements. The future
body also will be made up of these elements. A
carpenter can arrange pieces of wood in such a
way that these pieces form a chair. Or he can
arrange these pieces of wood in another
manner to make a table. He can convert these
pieces into a box, and so on. The carpenter can
arrange these pieces of wood in various ways
according to the need or the requirement of
the time. But the wood is the same. It is not new
wood that he is using. Likewise, they are the
21
same elements that work wherever you go,
whatever be the birth that you take, and
whichever be the shape the soul assumes in
whichever realm, in its new incarnation. Even if
it is in a very highly elevated state like that of a
Gandharva, or a Pit[ , or a celestial in paradise,
even if such a lustrous body is to be assumed by
the soul, it is made of nothing but this same
material. It is formed of these elements only in
their finer essences. When they are gross, they
look like the bodies we have. When they are fine,
they begin to be transparent like glass, for
instance. You know, even glass is made up of
matter. It is as much material as a lump of iron or
a hard brick. But the glass shines. It is
transparent. Light can pass through it because
of the fineness of the structure, notwithstanding
the fact that glass is made up of the same matter
as a hard brick. So, one can take any form; one
can be reborn in any shape, maybe a Gandharva,
a celestial or any other being. You may even go
to the realm of HiraG yagarbha, assuming the
subtlest form of matter known as the Prak[ itis.
Any form the soul can take. It can adjust and
readjust the material elements according to the
need which is indicated by the nature of the
mind that actually rein.
The Ailing Forests of India is written by a famous writer Sri C.K. Karunakaran an Indian Forest Service
Officer retired as Chief Conservator of Forests of Kerala state. He has written 16 other books on
Forestry and allied subjects. The Ailing Forests of India is recently published by National Book Trust
of India.
The author has divided this book into 14 chapters and each chapter is beautifully described. The
author has described these chapters like historical background of the forests, large scale clearance
of forests for raising plantations, national afforestation programme, large scale encroachments in
the forest, restriction on the diversion of forest land without prior approval of the Government of
India, about forestry education, national forest policies, forest types, wild life, the status of our
forests, degradation of our forests, and investment in forestry sector with statics wherever required.
The Ailing Forests of India with 328 pages is priced at Rs 145/-. It is very reasonably priced and
affordable by all. This book is not only to be kept in the libraries of all the forests offices of all the
states, but should be possessed by all the individual working and retired forest officers. This book
should also be kept in the libraries of all the educational institutions, like colleges and universities
as a reference book. In fact this book can be included in the syllabus of all the forest colleges and
other colleges which are having forestry and wild life subjects.
This book can be had by VPP and can be ordered to Deputy Director Sales whose e-mail ID is
nro.nbt@nic.in
REVIEW OF BOOK THE AILING FORESTS OF INDIA
22
Thirteen years ago, a
Muslim housewife in
Kerala had stopped
an old and destitute
Brahmin widow from
jumping in front of a
train and ending a life
for which she saw no
hope. The Muslim
woman, then 34, took
the 76-year-old high-caste Namboothiri woman
home, gave her shelter and sowed the seeds for
an unusual relationship that bloomed despite
their religious and cultural differences.
Their story of affection and harmony inspired
Malayalam producer-director Babu Thiruvallas
film Thanichalla Njam (I am not alone), which
went on to win the national award for 2012 for
best feature film on national integration recently.
The story began on January 22, 2000 when Rasiya
Beevi, of Ambalapuzha village panchayat in
Alappuzha district, spotted an old, frail frame
standing near the railway track.
I thought it was a woman passenger who was
stranded after missing the road to the nearest
railway station. When I approached her,
Chellamma Antharjanam got irritated and shot
THE STORY OF A MUSLIM WOMAN
AND BRAHMIN WIDOW
back, you will not let
me commit suicide?
Beevi recalls. Beevi said
Antharjanam told her
she was waiting to
jump in front of the next
train, after having failed
to kill herself through
other methods. She had
chosen the deserted
spot hoping that no one would spot her and
stop her. Antharjanam missed the train as she
narrated her story to the stranger she had just
met.
Antharjanam belonged to a prominent
Namboothiri family in Central Kerala and was
married to a man with psychiatric problems
who died five years after their wedding. For
about 25 years after that, she worked as a
domestic help and returned to her brothers
house as age caught up with her, only to be
thrown out. Distraught, she tried to kill herself
several times until Beevi found her.
Beevi said she took the Brahmin woman home
and got her to stay with her family comprising
her husband and three children. She was afraid
to stay with my family. Initially, she used to ask
23
me whether Muslim organisations would attack
the house for harbouring a Hindu. Her only plea
was to allow her to live as a Hindu, Beevi said.
So Beevi bought a traditional Hindu lamp used
in Kerala and other items Antharjanam needed
to do pooja and allowed her to recite Hindu
prayers in her Muslim home. Food, however, was
a spoiler as Antharjanam was a strict vegetarian.
My children insisted on fish and meat. Amma
could not even tolerate a whiff of non-vegetarian
food. As a short-term remedy, I decided to take
her to a Hindu ashram where only vegetarian
food was served, Beevi said, referring to
Antharjanam as amma. Antharjanam stayed at
the ashram for two years and Beevi paid for it
and visited her regularly too. In 2004, Beevi
managed to get Rs 55,000 from a housing
scheme for the homeless from her panchayat,
chipped in with some of her savings and built a
two-room house for Antharjanam. Political rivals
accused Beevi of using Antharjanam as a front to
pocket panchayat funds and even demanded her
resignation. But the two women held a press
conference in 2006 to tell their story and
silenced them.
Beevi also built a structure to grow the tulsi
plant at Antharjanams new house and ensured
a regular supply of rudraksha chains, sandal
sticks and materials for worship. She cooks
vegetarian food at her house and takes it for
Antharjanam and has also been spending time
with the old woman every night for the last year-
and-a-half. When Amma, now 89, was healthy, I
used to take her to the nearby temple. I would
wait outside the temple when she went inside
for darshan, Beevi said. Several Muslim
organisations had asked me why I cant take
Amma into the fold of Islam. They wanted
Antharjanam to embrace Islam. But my reply
was a firm no. I would live my religion and
Amma her religion, said Beevi, whose husband
is a small businessman.
We will live together until one of us bids adieu
to this world, she adds.
Courtesy: Indian Express
NOTICE
The 68th General Body Meeting of the Association of Retired Forest Officers of Andhra
Pradesh will be held on 23rd June 2013 (Sunday) at Harina Vanasthali Deer Park
Vanasthalipuram at 11-30 am. All the members are requested to attend the meeting
along with their spouses. Members who need transport may contact the undersigned.
Secretary
24
Bitti Mohanty changed his identity to Raghav
Rajan to hoodwink the authorities after jumping
parole while serving a seven-year rape sentence
at Alwar, was a clever move. The ease with which
he created a host of documents to prove his new
identity wasnt. It was the oldest trick in the book
and the police had no business to fall for it.
Bitti had allegedly created a voters identity card
issued by the Revenue Taluk Office of Puttaparthi
in Andhra Pradesh, educational qualifications
from the secondary level to MBA, accounts in four
banks including SBT, and a passport issued by
the Kozhikode regional passport officer. Issued
on 26 October, 2012, the passport (J 3306779)
identified him as Raghav Rajan with a B.Tech and
MBA as educational qualifications.
Shamefully, while the innocent common man has
to run from pillar to post for mandatory
documents that range from the age-old ration
card to the more recent Aadhar Card to avail
benefits assured by the State, criminals and
gangsters easily subvert the same procedure to
their benefit and get away with it!
In 2006, Bitti Mohanty, then 25, was convicted of
raping a 26 year-old German woman at a hotel
in Alwar. He had allegedly befriended her
through a common friend when she came to
CRACK DOWN ON FAKE DOCUMENTS
TO CURB CRIME
By
Gajanan Khe rgamke r
India for a research project. The woman had
alleged that Mohanty had raped her several
times on 20 March 2006 under the influence of
alcohol. As the victim had to fly back to
Germany, the case was tried in a fast-track court.
Mohanty was convicted on 12 April 2006 and
sentenced for seven years in prison. Seven
months later, Mohanty applied for parole to
meet his ailing mother and was granted a parole
of 15 days on 20 November, 2006. However,
Mohanty did not return and had been
absconding ever since. That was till an
anonymous letter blew Mohantys cover and he
was arrested on 9 March 2013 as Raghav Rajan
from Kerala.
The ease with which fake documents
particularly passports can be acquired is the
reason why gangsters manage to dodge the law
and move beyond borders freely. Indian
agencies shamelessly claim that Dawood
Ibrahim has at least 20 fake passports of which
eight were issued in Mumbai, Chhota Rajan has
eight while Chhota Shakeel is said to have six.
Apart from them, Tiger Memon, Ayub Memon,
Ali Moosa and Pathan Izazare are all said to have
bogus passports.
Why, Abu Salem had 12 fake passports before
25
being apprehended by the police. The police
claim that Abu Salem got three passports from
India while he was absconding in the Middle East
and Europe. They were allegedly in the name of
Akil Ahmed Azmi from Lucknow, Danish Baig
from Bhopal and Ramin Malik from Hyderabad.
While the claims in themselves look like the
regulatory pitch to dilute the gross failure of the
law in apprehending the felons, it must be noted
that the industry of producing fake documents
thrives under the nose of law-enforcers, often
with their patronage.
When asked, the authorities are usually swift to
detail the modus operandi as a mundi cut in
which an original photograph is cut out of a stolen
passport and replaced with that of the criminal.
But what most gangsters do is get genuine
passports with the help of fake documents. All
one needs to do is bribe a few officials through
an agent. Bitti was provided with a real passport
by a Kozhikode regional passport officer.
Travel agents, paid huge sums of money for
creating the documents, are known to bribe
officials who then overlook the verification
procedure to process the document in question.
In the Kandahar hijack case, the terrorists had
obtained forged passports just like the 13/7
Mumbai terror plotters.
On 8 January 2013, police apprehended one
Raheemuddin, a native of Motigalli in Hussaini
alam, for preparing fake documents by using
forged letter heads and stamps of different
institutions to secure visas. Raheemuddin
would charge hefty fees to create fake bank
statements, employment letters from different
companies, pay slips, IT returns, chartered
accountant reports, property documents and
call letters from foreign universities that would
be required for obtaining visas to the US and
other nations. He would allegedly make the
fakes at his residence before submitting them
to consulates to help his clients attend visa
interviews.
Police sources maintain he had even prepared
fake documents of Board of Intermediate,
degree and technical certificates for his younger
brother Shameemuddin who went to London
on a student visa. The forged documents were
seized but Shemeemuddin remained at large.
Later, Raheemuddin with a friend, Sudarshan
Reddy, reportedly, prepared a counterfeit State
Bank of India letter sanctioning an education
loan of Rs 4 lakh for Mohammed Abdul Sami, a
native of Chilkalguda and for extension of visa
too.
Officials at the regional passport office (RPO) in
Madurai are baffled with the surge in number
of passport applications submitted with fake
supporting documents. As many as 104
applications were submitted seeking issue of
passport from 11 districts falling under the
Madurai RPO jurisdiction during 2012 and 2013,
all on the basis of fake documents. Most of the
26
fake documents were birth and transfer
certificates, alleged a regional passport officer.
By law, submitting fake documents along with
passport applications in order to obtain a
passport is an offence under the Passport Act,
1967 and Cr. P.C for which stringent action could
be taken. The reach of the fake documents
spread across the nation, and the ease with
which they can be procured bears testimony to
the impotence of the system that provides a
perfect breeding ground for criminals.
No statute, however far-reaching in nature, can
stop crime unless there is a corresponding
intention on the part of the enforcer to do so.
And that it is sadly quite suspect.
(Gajanan Khergamker is an independent editor
and legal counsel with over three decades of
experience)
If you believe the dhania patta or coriander is a mere garnishing ingredient, think again...
They dont just add to the extra garnishing, recent research proves that coriander leaves and seeds
have many health benefits. Here are a few:
Aides digestion and helps settle the stomach and prevent flatulence.
Protects against the Salmonella bacteria, which is a common cause of food poisoning.
Adding coriander to your food can kill these bacteria.
Works as a natural chelation treatment. It cuts down on the levels of heavy metals like lead,
arsenic or mercury, which might have entered the body in various ways.
It has anti-inflammatory properties, too, that may alleviate symptoms of arthritis.
Protects against urinary tract infections as it helps flush out various toxins from the body.
Prevents nausea; - Relieves intestinal gas; - Lowers blood sugar; - Lowers bad cholesterol (LDL)
and raises good cholesterol (HDL); - These leaves are a good source of dietary fibre; - Coriander
leaves are also a good source of iron; - They are also rich in magnesium; - These leaves are rich
in phytonutrients and flavonoid
Make this at home. Ingredients:
A bunch of fresh coriander leaves
Handful of groundnut seeds
Juice of two lemons
Five cloves of garlic
Half a teaspoon of ginger paste
Four green chillies (according to taste) Salt to taste
Method:
Put all the ingredients into a blender and make it into a paste. You can store this in the refrigerator
for a day.
CORIANDER NOT A MERE GARNISHING INGREDIENT
27
Apropos to the Article Day in CJR Tree Farms, by
K.B.R. Reddy appearing in the April 2013 issue of
Vana Premi, I have certain comments to offer.
Firstly, it is mentioned that as the tap root of a
teak seedling is cut at 9" below the collar, it
enhances the growth of the side roots which in
turn boost the growth of above ground bio-mass
of a teak plant. I sincerely feel that practice of
preparation of teak stumps initiated by one
Chatu Menon way back in the year 1846 (If I am
not wrong in quoting the year) for planting them
at a plantation site located in Nilambur Forests
as taught to us in the Forest College, was
basically out of considerations of logistics than
any scientific reason behind it; as it involved
transport of the planting stock from nursery to
the plantation site across the river. Secondly, it is
not understood as to how the horizontal spread
of the side roots is going to help the above
ground growth of the plant. It is my firm opinion
that the tap root of teak plant, due to its capacity
to go deep into and hold the ground firmly,
certainly lends it the stability it requires to
balance its large bio-mass besides providing it
with the nutrients and moisture needed for
continued sustenance, during its long life in
future. While, the side roots have only a
secondary role to play. From my personal
experience during the experiment carried out
to utilize the entire root stock of 10 year old teak
plant for its replanting at another site, in order
to make use of the tremendous coppicing
capacity of teak and also to obtain the
accelerated growth of future coppices because
of the advanced biological growth of that root
stock, I found out to my surprise that the teak
EXPERIMENTS OF CJ REDDY
By
V. S. Jos hi
plant after severing its side roots was toppled
down very easily. This clearly demonstrates that
the side roots of teak plant dont hold the
ground as firmly as its tap root would have
done.
Secondly, pollarding of the leading shoot of 9'
to 10' high teak plant (It must be at least 5 to 10
year old then, depending on the site) to get the
increased girth at the cost the increased height
does not stand to sound logic; as the increased
girth at juvenile age of teak plant certainly wont
have any sizable proportion of heartwood in it
but would mostly consist of the sap wood,
which has very little timber-value. Besides,
obtaining two side shoots at the height of 10'
would not, in any probability, give the wood of
real timber-value (Heart wood) in near future.
It has been our sad experience in past that the
tall promises of the increased bio-mass from
teak (mostly of sap wood) during the short span
of its juvenile age, say up to 20 years, as
proclaimed by the unscrupulous Teak-Bond
dream merchants (like Anubhav Plantations)
during the nineties have dashed the hopes of
many commoners who had invested their hard
earned money into their most luring ventures.
Thirdly, the concept of Green House (ICU) for
teak having 10' below ground chamber is not
very well understood which needs further
elaboration. I would be very much thankful if
Mr CJ Reddy enlightens us on the points raised
herein. Incidentally, Mr. CJ Reddy, the most
enthusiastic Plantation Wizard, is same Reddy
of our 1959-61 SFRC Batch, whom we fondly
used to address as Reddy garu?
28
The good news is that house
sparrows continue to chirp
here and there in Mangalore,
though they are rare to come
by. One place where you
cannot miss their singing is at
Shree Gokarnanath-eshwara
Temple in Kudroli.
On Wednesday, I spotted at
least half a dozen sparrows in
the temple and spent a good
90 minutes photographing
them, though initially I
thought it would be too
difficult to focus and frame
them the amateur photographer that I am. The
hyper-active birds that refuse to sit quiet or stay
put at one place are a feast to watch but getting
a printable picture of them could be quite a task,
I found out. But the pleasure of shooting the
sparrows which I have grown up watching from
childhood was an experience on the eve of a
day dedicated to increasing their flock. Many in
Mangalore vouch that they, too, grew feeding or
making nests for the birds. Wildlife biologist
Suryanarayana Rao Addoor tells me he had seen
sparrows even in Hampanakatta when he was
young. Mr Rao, who is also Vice-Principal of
College for Human Resource Development,
remembers that he would make artificial nests
for them.
SPARROWS STILL CHIRP HERE AND THERE
By
GOVIND D. BELGAUMKAR
Disappearance
He attributes the
vanishing act of
sparrows to superstores,
which replaced the
neighbourhood shops
that used serve as source
of food for them. Other
reasons, according for
him, are mobile phones,
reducing green cover,
changing pattern of
agriculture
plantation crops
replacing paddy.
Bird enthusiast and Assistant Professor in
Biosciences Department of Mangalore
University Prashanth Naik says that use of
chemical fertilisers and pesticides, which kill
pests the sparrows food is also one reason.
He says that people in cities feed pigeons,
which now occupy the nesting space of
sparrows.
Mr. Naik forwarded a 2008 study by K.K.
Vijayalaxmi, Professor, Department of Applied
Zoology, Mangalore University, which found 30
sparrows in Urva Stores, 45 in Hampanakatta,
25 in Ujjodi, 10 in Deralakatte and 20 in
Thokkottu. It documents sighting of the birds in
Dharmasthala, Moodbidri, and Polali, among
others.
29
Helping the bird
An old sparrow nest was found at Bayar Co-
operative Society in Kasaragod district, Ms.
Vijayalaxmi records. On enquiry, the researcher
found that it was there for 50 years and every
time new batches of sparrow renew this nest
and use it. The employees of the society helped
these birds by removing the ceiling fan from that
place to make way for the easy flight of these
birds.
The study points out that considering drastic
decline in sparrow population throughout India,
a memorandum has been submitted to the
Union government and IUCN (International
Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources) in 2011 to include House sparrow
(Passer domesticus) as an endangered species
to give conservation importance.
Chirp for the Sparrow, Tweet for the Sparrow
is the theme of the World Sparrow Day 2013.
The objectives are:
Bringing together individuals and organisations
working for conservation of sparrows and urban
biodiversity
Building a network for better linkages between
like-minded people
Using the network to carry out advocacy, doing
collaborative research and form national and
international consortiums
Drawing the attention of government agencies
and the scientific community for conservation
of common bird species and urban biodiversity
Studying the health of the environment since
common birds like sparrows are bio-indicators
of the ecosystem
IS AFRAID OF
30
We wish the following born on the dates mentioned
A very Happy Birth Day
Birthday Greetings
S.No. Name of the member D.O.B.
Sarva Sri
1. G.Gurunathudu 10-05-1949
2. Qamar Mohd Khan 11-05-1947
3. P.Laxma Reddy 13-05-1929
4. M.Purushotham Reddy 14-05-1952
5. K.C.Augustin 21-05-1930
6. Shaik Noor Ahmed 22-05-1946
7. S.Rama Rao 25-05-1950
8. K.Pradeep 28-05-1954
9. T.Samboji Rao 01-06-1948
10. Y.Ram Mohan Rao 02-06-1941
11. Gunturu Satyanarayana 04-06-1954
S.No. Name of the I.F.S. Oficer D.O.B.
Sarva Sri
1. B.Soma Sekara Reddy 10-05-1954
2. M.A.Waheed 12-05-1953
3. S.Ramesh 21-05-1978
4. Mohammad Diwan Mydeen 21-05- 1978
5. B.S.Yousuf Sharief 23-05-1953
6. Chinmay K Misra 25-05-1957
7. Faujdar 25-05-1954
8. B.Murali Krishna 25-05-1955
9 . M.Ramaprasad 25-05-1955
1 0 . C. Sarvanan 01-06-1978
1 1 . S. S. Sr eedhar 04-06-1966
S . No . Name of the
S.F.S. Oficer D. O. B.
Sarva Sri
1 . Smt . S. J . As ha 07-05-1975
2 . M. Babj i 08-05-1968
3 . B. Sai dul u 09-05-1974
4 . N.Nageshwara Rao 10-05-1971
5. S.Kishan Das 10-05-19551
6. G.Ravi 15-05-1962
7. K.Sekhar Reddy 16-05-1956
8. P.V.Ramana Kumar 16-05-1956
9. Ch.Ganga Reddy 19-05-1966
10. Y.Ramesh 20-05-1959
11. G.N.Pavan Kumar Rao 20-05-1967
12. K.Mahaboob Basha 21-05-1986
13. P.Balaswamy 25-05-1960
14. V.Krishna 25-05-1966
15. K.Ramkishan 01-06-1963
16. D.Chandrasekhar Rao 01-06-1959
17. Smt.N.Kshitija 01-06-1976
18. Ch.Pardananda Prasad 01-06-1955
19. T.Chakrapani 01-06-1966
20. D.Ravindranath Reddy 02-06-1982
21. P.Ramakrishna 02-06-1972
22. K.Srinivas 04-06-1977
31
RAJA BAHADUR VENKATARAMA REDDY -
KOTWAL OF HYDERABAD 1920 - 1934
Raja Bahadur Venkatarama
Reddy was kotwal of
Hyderabad. His tenure lasted
almost 14 years and he
commanded a great respect
among the public for his
outstanding police
administration.
The Commissioner of Police
of the City of Hyderabad used
to be called the Kotwal. It is
one of the oldest offices and
used to be the most powerful
job in the Government. A
number of foreign travelers to the city have made
references to this office in their accounts.
Raja Bahadur Venkatarama Reddy served in this
job for over 14 years and became a legend even
during his lifetime. Venkatram Reddy was born
in August 1869 in Rayanipet village of
Wanaparthy estate in Mehboob Nagar district.
His father was a Police Patel of some eight
villages and was well off. He was a grand nephew
of the then Raja of Wanaparthy. His mother died
three days after his birth, and the father, when he
was about five. His maternal uncle, William
Wahab, then took care of him. (The name might
suggest that he was a Christian. That was not so.
The Raja of Wanaparthy had
employed a Catholic teacher
to educate some of his boys.
So the boys were given
Christian names, and in
deference to the Muslim
ruler, Muslim surnames). He
was educated in his village
and then at Wanaparthy
where he became a class-
fellow of Raja Rameshwar Rao
II.
Wahab was in the Police and
he brought up Venkatram till
his sixteenth year when, while serving at Raichur,
Wahab died suddenly.
Venkatram stayed on at Raichur and became a
ward of Wahabs successor, a Pathan named
Nazar Muhammad Khan. By now the young man
had acquired some rudimentary education.
Khan got him the job of Grade IV Amin (a sub
inspector of police) in the Police. He was so lean
and short that he stuffed his dress with cotton
for the interview with the Chief of Police. The
Chief saw through the trick, smiled, and took
him in.
He served in various districts and because of
his diligence rose gradually. While working at
32
Nizamabad, he helped trace a British deserter
from the army and was given a reward of eleven
rupees. Hemkin, the Chief of State Police,
adjudged him as the best officer in the state He
was appointed head of the district police in 1901
and served in a number of districts including the
Atraf-e-Balda area around the city. His old class
fellow who was now the Raja of Wanaparthy asked
for his services as Secretary of the Estate, on
promotion.
When Nawab Imadad Jung became the Kotwal
of Hyderabad, he asked Venkatram to be
appointed as his First Assistant. He worked in
that capacity for six years and instituted many
reforms in the City Police. Imadad Jung died in
harness in 1920.
Suddenly, Venkatram was asked to see the
Nizam. Although, he had worked in the Nizams
Private Estate, he had never met the ruler before.
He was therefore naturally very jittery. It was a
Friday and when the Assistant Kotwal presented
himself at the King Kothi. After his prayers, the
Nizam looked up the nervous officer four or five
times and then said, Well, you can go. The next
day he was appointed the Kotwal. From then on
he would see the Nizam not every day, but
sometimes several times a day.
Venkatram Reddy handled his delicate job
adroitly. Not only the Nizam, but also members
of both the leading communities were very
happy with them. That was a time when the
Freedom Struggle was gaining strength.
Hyderabad was engulfed by the Khilafat
Movement. A group of agitators came from
Ahmedabad and joined the local leaders in
demonstration. The demonstration became
violent and the doors and windows of the
Residency court were smashed. Venkatram
Reddy himself went to the site and persuaded
the leaders to adopt peaceful means.
He also ensured peace at the Ganesh
procession by making four policemen the
bearers of the palanquin carrying the idol.
Venkatram Reddy did not know English. When
the Prince of Wales was to visit Hyderabad, he
started learning English. He used to practice
speaking words and sentences loudly in his
room. His orderly, not knowing the meaning,
feared that his master had probably become
insane. He rushed to the Police station to inform
the officer there. On the second day of the
Princes stay there was a banquet given by the
Nizam. The Kotwal reached the palace ahead of
the Prince, but was refused entry by the military,
which was in charge of the security inside the
palace. When the Prince arrived, there was no
one who could guide his party to the right
block. That caused acute embarrassment to the
host and the guest. The Nizam then asked
Venkatram to take total charge of the
arrangements.
The Nizam gave him the title of Raja Bahadur
33
on his birthday. A year later the British
Government awarded him the Order of the
British Empire.
After many extensions of service, he finally
retired in 1934. In relaxation of rules for pension,
instead of half his salary, he was given a pension
of 1,000 rupees a month. Immediately thereafter,
he was appointed Special Officer of the Nizams
private estate. He was also made chairman of
the Commission for Inquiry into the
Indebtedness of the Sahibzadas.
Venkatram Reddy was one of those rare officials
who get involved in social work. He persuaded
the Reddy community to get educated and take
up Government jobs. To facilitate their stay in
Hyderabad, he established the Reddy Hostel
through donations raised from the Rajas, leading
landlords and businessmen. He also established
the Reddy Womens School. Since the Osmania
University did not grant recognition to a Telugu
medium school; he got it affiliated to the Karve
institute at Pune. Now the school has become a
college. He also established a number of other
educational and philanthropic institutions. As a
member of the State Legislature, he supported
the bills for the eradication of child marriage and
for widow remarriage.
When he died in 1956, he had only thirty rupees
in cash on his person. His first wife died a few
months after the birth of his son, Ranga Reddy.
His second wife had already two children. The
daughter, Narsamma was married to a
contractor who built Pathergatti. The son, Laxma
Reddy did Bar-at Law, married two English
ladies one after another and became a judge of
the High Court. He had three sons and a
daughter who are no more.
His own son became commissioner of excise
and because of the job, he was known as Abkari
Ranga Reddy. A bachelor, he adopted
Madhusudan Reddy as his son. Now going on
seventy, this charming gentleman lives in
Banjara Hills. He is the sole surviving descendant
of the great Kotwal of the city.
A statue of Vekatram Reddy stands in the circle
opposite the YMCA at Narayanguda. He had
given the institution the land.
POLICE SYSTEM DURING NIZAM PERIOD: The
erstwhile State of Nizam comprised areas
covered of the present Telangana of AP State,
Bidar, Raichur and Gulburga, districts of present
Karnataka State and Osmanabad. Beed, Nanded,
Latur, Aurangabad and Parbhani districts of the
present Maharashtra State. Hyderabad was the
Capital of Nizam. As per the available records,
the Police Commissionerate system existed
way back from the year 1847. The Nizam of
Hyderabad used to appoint the Commissioners
of Police who were officers of the Hyderabad
Civil Service and they used to function during
his pleasure. They were answerable to the
Nizam directly on various matters of policing
34
in Hyderabad city. However as far as
administrative matters were concerned the
Commissioner of Police used to correspond with
the Home Department directly. The
commissioner of Police was popularly called as
KOTWAL and was responsible for maintenance
of law and order, prevention and detection of
crime etc. The correspondence used to be only
in Urdu. Kotwal enjoying a high position and look
upon with great respect of fear had always been
appointed from an early period and he had under
him a public force composed of various
nationalities and a number of detectives.
The Kotwal combined in his office not only the
powers and privileges of the police head, but
also was in enjoyment of certain judicial and civil
powers. He had direct access to the king and had
his ears. He was the chief adviser to the monarch
in all police matters. He was primarily
responsible for the maintenance of law and
order, for the prevention and control of crime,
and prosecution of criminals. He occupied a
unique position not only in the administration
of criminal justice but also a very honourable
place in the kings Durbars. He received the
Roznamachas (Daily reports) from the
Thanedars about the happening in the city, kept
a watch on the British Residency and maintained
a number of paid informers. The Kotwal-e-Balda
was both respected and feared by the general
public. The powerful Kotwals was Raja Bahadur
Venkatrama Reddy during the reign of Nawab
Mir Osman Ali Khan, Nizam-VII. He even
resolved major litigations between Gadwal and
Wanaparthi samasthans through negotiations.
In the big Samasthans, policing was being
done by the big feudal lords, who owned vast
chunks of land, and organized their respective
police forces and a separate judicial service.
The Head of the Thana (Police Station) came
to be called Amin The rank equivalent to
inspector was known as Sadar Amin. The
Assistant Commissioner of Police and the
Deputy Commissioner were called Madadgar
Kotwal and Naib Kotwal respectively. The
entire city police force had distinctive uniforms
and badges of rank. At the Thana level there
was a Jemadar (General Duty Head Constable)
and a Moharrir (Writer Head Constable). The
Constabulary was called Barkandaz in the
beginning and later called Jawan. He was
getting Rs. 6-00 in 1902 A.D. as pay and two
annas per day was his daily allowance,
whenever he had to travel outside Hyderabad
City.
(Editors Note; On 28-3-2013 passing out parade
of S.I trainees was held and on this day A.P. Police
Academy was renamed as Raja Bahadur Venkat
Ram Reddy A.P. Police Academy in memory of
Hyderabad Kotwal sab).
Names of the Commissioner of Police who
worked in Hyderabad City right from 1847
are shown below
35
S. N NAME DATE OF ASSUMPTION OF CHARGE
1. Sri. Md. Vazir Jamadar 8 Dec 1847
2. Sri. Fazzuddin Khan 5 Oct 1851
3. Sri. Mohammed Syeed Hussaini 5 Jan 1853
4. Sri. Nawab Ghalib Ud-Dawlah 10 Nov 1853
5. Sri. Grand Son of Zafar-Ud-Dawlah 9 May 1855
6. Sri. Nawab Zourawar Jung 6 June 1873
7. Sri. Inayat Hussain Khan 23 Apr 1874
8. Sri. Nawab Akber Ul-Mulk 5 May 1884
9. Sri. Vazir Ali Nawab (Sulthan Yawar Jung) 8 Apr 1905
10. Sri. K.B. Abdul Kasim Lal Khan 25 Apr 1912
11. Sri. Mir Mubarak Ali Khan 17 Sept 1912
12. Sri. Nawab Emad Jung II 8 Nov 1912
13. Sri. Raja Bahadur Venkat Rama Reddy 23 Mar 1920
14. Sri. Nawab Rahmat Yar Jung Bahadur 1 July 1934
15. Sri. Nawab Deen Yar Jung Bahadur 6 June 1945
16. Sri. Rusthum Ji Shapur Ji. 1 Aug 1947
17. Sri. S.N. Reddy M.A, 21 Mar 1949
18. Sri. Shiv Kumar Lal I.P.S., 1 Sept 1951
19. Sri. A. Sundaram Pillai I.P.S., 1 July 1953
20. Sri. B.L. Khadar I.P.S., 15 May 1954
21. Sri. C. Ranga Swamy Iyengar I.P.S., 26 Sept 1954
Again 14 July 1962
22 Sri. S. Vijaya Rangam I.P.S., 19 May 1957
23 Sri. V.N. Kaliyan Rao I.P.S., 14 May 1959
Again 22 May 1967
24 Sri. S.P. Satur I.P.S., 03- Apr 1961
Again 19 Feb 1963
25 Sri. Prahlad Singh I.P.S., 1 Sept 1964
26 Sri. Abdus Salam Khan I.P.S., 1 Feb 1970
27 Sri. P.V.G. Krishnama Charyulu I.P.S., 14 July 1973
Again 11 June 1976
28 Sri. K.N. Sreenivasan I.P.S., 15 Dec 1975
Again 9 July 1976
29 Sri. M.A. Shafiullah Khan I.P.S., 23 Aug 1976
30 Sri. Muni Swamy I.P.S., 28 Dec 1977
31 Sri. P.V. Pavithran I.P.S., 22 Apr 1978
32 Sri. C.G. Saldanha I.P.S., 2 May 1981
33 Sri. T. Ponnaiya I.P.S., 27 Aug 1981
34 Sri. S. Chandra Shekaran I.P.S., 10 Nov 1982
35 Sri. Vijaya Rama Rao I.P.S., 14 Apr 1983
Again 7 Apr 1989
36 Sri. R. Prabhakar Rao I.P.S., 28 Aug 1984
37 Sri. T. Surya Narayan Rao I.P.S., 05 Mar 1986
38 Sri. V. Apparao I.P.S., 15 Feb 1989
Again 25 Dec 1994
39 Sri. I. Pullanna I.P.S., 5 May 1990
40 Sri. S.V. Narasimhulu I.P.S., (
Incharge C.P.(Addl.C.P.) 06 July 1990
41 Sri. G.Gurunath Rao I.P.S., 16 Aug 1990
42 Sri. M.V. Bhaskara Rao I.P.S., 29 Nov 1990
43 Sri. H.J. Dora I.P.S., 16 Apr 1993
44 Sri. C. Rama Swamy I.P.S., 30 Jun 1996
45 Sri. R.P. Singh 30 June 1997
Again 13 Oct 2003
46 Sri. S.R. Sukumara 12 Sept 1998
47 Sri. P. Ramulu I.P.S., 15 Dec 2000
48 Sri. M.V.Krishna Rao 25 Feb 2002
49 Sri. V. Dinesh Reddy 1 Dec 2004
50 Sri. A.K. Mohanty 30 Sept 2005
51 Sri. Balwinder Singh 12 Jan 2007
52 Sri. B. Prasada Rao, I.P.S., 20 Jan 2008
53 Sri. A.K. Khan, I.P.S., 21 Jan 2010
54 Sri. Anurag Sharma, I.P.S., 19 May 2012
Courtsy: Capt BS Kaoosji Malaysia
Contributed by Sri Sharad Varadkar with thanks
36
I was walking back to the
field camp, when a tiger
decided to take the same
path as me. It looked me
straight in the eye and kept
moving in my direction. The
tiger came close... and then
just trotted off into the
bushes, Leelabai
reminisced. The tiger must
have seen the uniform and
understood that its the malik
(owner) out for a walk.
Leelabai is not a celebrated wild lifer or
photographer, nor has she published any
research papers or been a part of any
conglomeration of conservationists. She has
spent the last nineteen years of her life living in
the forest, armed with nothing but a stick and
sheer raw pluck and courage, guarding the forest
as part of the forest department. She and Wild
life Trust of Indias Jose Louis probably would
have never crossed paths had the organisation
not conducted Crime Prevention Training for the
frontline forest staff, an initiative supported by
IFAW, at Kanha National Park.
Fondly called amma (mother) by her colleagues,
including many officers, Leelabai will be turning
60 this December and itll be time for her to
LEELABAI, A 59-YEAR-OLD FOREST
GUARD IN KANHA
retire from the forest
department. Here are some
excerpts from Joses
conversation with her.
What made you join the
department? ... I got this job
as a forest guard in 1985,
after my husband was killed
by some poachers. I was left
all alone with four children-
two boys and two girls. The
department offered me the
job as a means to make ends meet and I decided
to take it up.
Whats your daily routine like? ... We go patrolling,
at least around 10 km every day inside the forest.
There isnt an animal that we dont come
across... whether it is a tiger or a gaur, we see
them all!
What do you think about the tiger? ... Oh... what
do I think? (Laughs) You tell me what I should
be thinking about when a majestic animal like
the tiger crosses my path! Simplyput, its the
pride of our forests. After all, youre sitting in
the land of the tiger and people come from all
across the world to see a tiger here! So yes, I
feel very proud about our tigers.
Have you ever caught a poacher yourself? ... What
37
do you think, kid? That Ive been in this position
for so long but havent done anything? As a forest
guard, Ive been part of quite a few seizures and
seen them detaining a lot of suspects. Once, in
fact, during my patrolling with two casual
workers we came across a father-son, duo who
was jungle fowl hunters who were setting traps
in the forest. As soon as they saw us they tried to
run away but we caught them easily. I gave two
tight slaps to the kid and asked him why hes
spoiling his life by getting into this murky
business and leading a life of crime. We went
back, collected all the traps and handed them to
the senior officials later. So many incidents like
these have happened; its hard for me to recall
all of them. Its all a normal part of our life here.
To read the rest of this exchange and see what
else this amazing lady had to say, go here.
Leelabai is symbolic of those hundreds of
unknown and unheard of glorified protectors
of our forests and the wildlife in them. Its not
just a job for them but literally living in the
middle of the jungles, they risk their lives every
day for the cause. Its not an easy life, patrolling
for kilometres on end, living in minimalist field
camps to survive, braving the harsh varying
Indian weather all year round, battling against
all odds to act as the first line of defence for our
wildlife.
Heres hoping that her story and her
contributions are now known to the world and
helps inspire more people to join forces for to
help save wildlife. (Contibuted to by Shri R.K.
Rao with thanks)
The Association of Retired Forest Officers, Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad Congratulates the following
Forest Officers, who are retiring from service on attaining the age of superannuation on 31-05-
2013 and cordially invites them to join the Association of Retired Forest Officers to keep in touch
with their old colleagues and to keep themselves occupied.
Name of IFS Officer Name of S.F.S.Officer
1. Sri M.A.Waheed 1. Sri S.Kishan Das
2. Sri B.S.Yousuf Sherief 2. Sri Ch.Parthananda Prasad
For further details they may contact the following
Sri. K. Santokh Singh, Secretary Mobile Number. 9848808101
Sri. P. Upender Reddy, Jt.Secretary Mobile Number..9848754778
-Secretary
INVITATION
38
By
N. Shiva Kumar
Three holy rivers merge with their gushing
waters here; so do millions of pilgrims from
across the country congregate at the Sangam in
Allahabad for a holy dip to ward off their sins. At
this very same venue stands a massive,
magnificent yet lonesome tree. Probably one of
the largest and longest living trees in India, this
monolithic tree has been thriving albeit
precariously by sipping water at the confluence.
Reportedly over 1000 years old, this Baobab tree
is a living monument and a mute witness to
numerous Kumbh Melas held under its boughs.
On my recent visit to the Maha Kumbh Mela in
the last session of this nearly 60-day-long
festival, I found the tree forlorn and neglected.
Neither the organizers of the Mela who have
spent crores of rupees in creating the overnight
township nor the Botanical Survey of India (BSI)
LIVING MONUMENTS
has bothered to protect the tree. Even NGOs,
naturalists and the millions of pilgrims have not
paid heed to its ordeal of deterioration and
destruction.
Bearing a bloated hole of nearly 50-feet in
circumference, the tree stands imposingly with
widespread branches that are 40-feet. Its
strange appearance and enormous trunk which
tapers into thick branches were naked and
devoid of leaves. Looking from a distance, it gave
the impression of a deliberately grafted giant
bonsai. Up-close its ancient trunk was all
covered with humps, bumps and plenty of
bulges. Some of the bark has been ruthlessly
striped, sliced and peeled off exposing the soft
tissues. (Compare the photographs taken in
2008 and 2013).
Baobab (Adansonia digitata) at Sangam: The healthy
specimen in 2008. Photos: N. Shiva Kumar
The vandalized tree in 2013
39
Considered by some to be of immense rarity
and antiquity, Baobabs scientific name is
Adansonia digitata. It belongs to the
Bombacaceae family. The District Gazetteer of
Allahabad (1968) contains an account that says:
A gigantic tree supposed to be more than 500
years old locally called vilaiti immli which has not
been identified botanically. It is growing on the
left bank of the Ganga at Prayag and is sacred to
Hindus and Muslims alike.
According to Professor H.Y. Mohan Ram, a
prominent botanist from Delhi, This enormous
tree supposedly has its origin in the African
continent and brought in by sailors who came
to establish trade links with India; they thereafter
planted them across the Indian subcontinent.
However, a handful of scientists believe Baobab
trees to be a part of Indian culture and attribute
their existence to have been influenced by
various mechanisms of evolution. According to
the theory of continental drift, the super-
continent Pangaea broke up some 50 million
years ago creating new continents and
subcontinents. The resultant fragmented
landmass drifted away across the oceans to form
Africa, India and Australia. These drifting
continents carried away the ancestors of the
Baobab species.
A minority of botanists have suggested that this
tree is an Indian tree which has been mentioned
in historical books, etched on some of our ancient
temple walls and even worshipped for ages as
Kalpa Vriksha the mythical wish fulfilling tree.
Another theory floated by an American
taxonomist said that sturdy seed pods of Baobab
might have been swept by sea currents and
reached India. Thus the Baobab trees which love
arid zones have been found growing as
stragglers in the Indian subcontinent, including
Sri Lanka.
Strangely uncommon, some of the mega-sized
Baobab trees do occur in remote locations of
our country. A few even managed to exist in
busy cities like Aurangabad, Mumbai and
Hyderabad but people are not aware of their
existence. Even the BSI and various universities
with botany departments have not shown any
inclination to conduct research, catalogue or
even save them from destruction.
The amazing thing about Baobab trees is how
invisible they are despite their outsized vital
statistics, says Thomas Pakenham of Ireland,
who has travelled the world writing books
about remarkable trees. He showers praise
about the tenacity of the Baobab and says that
they may live for 500 to 5,000 years.
In any case, the historic Baobab tree at the
Sangam deserves a better deal. It needs urgent
protection, not only from vagaries of nature and
vandals, but also from an eroding riverbank that
has exposed its huge roots.
40
Incredible Hand Crafted Art; What Came First?
Kyle Bean is an incredible young talent,
specialising in hand crafted models, set design
and art direction. Since graduating in 2009, Kyle
has worked for a variety of international clients
for a diverse range of projects including
installations, window displays, editorial
illustration and advertising.
Kyles work has been recognised by the
prestigious Art Directors Club in New York and
the International Design Biennial held
throughout Europe. His work has been featured
in a range of international art and design
publications, praising him for both his
conceptual thinking and craftsmanship. Kyle
splits his time between working from his studio
by the sea in Brighton and London where he often
collaborates with photographers and directors.
Kyle is represented by Blink art.
What stands out most about Kyles work is his
diverse range. While he has a clear gift for paper
craft, the variety in materials used and the
creativity in which he employs them is truly
exceptional. Many of his pieces, especially those
for magazine covers and editorials, are often
cheeky, akin to visual puns.
Please see last cover page for photo
NEWS AND NOTES
Birds are honoured guests here: - Jhareppa
Machche of Dongar gaon hamlet on top of a hill
in Aurad taluk fetches water every day from an
open well 4 km downhill.
Mr. Machche, in his forties, fills the pots and
buckets in his house in a practised order: first a
small pot kept in front of the Shiva idol in a
corner of the kitchen, and then a large pot kept
in the hall, and then a small pot that hangs from
a lamppost outside. The small pot is meant for
birds, including sparrows and pigeons. Once
they are all filled, he starts filling the steel
buckets in the bathroom.
Mr. Machche is not the only one who cares for
these birds in Dongar gaon. The village has
dozens of bird boxes and pots. The people care
for the birds though it is difficult for them to
find enough drinking water, says Bheemshi
Pawar Every farmer keeps at least one pot,
though they dont spend much on bird care.
Once in every three days or so, women throw a
few freshly plucked heads of grain into the bird
boxes ... We are happy to hear the birds chirping
all the time, he said.
Shailendra Kavadi, president of Parisara Vahini,
a non-governmental organisation, said, On
World Sparrow Day every year, while NGOs try
hard to create awareness among city residents
41
about the need to protect birds, particularly
sparrows, village residents in the backward Bidar
district seem to offer time-tested traditions as
an answer.
In several villages in the district, residents have
put up pots, drums or boxes on walls, poles or
wires for birds to build the nests, he said. This is
an age-old practice. It is a great tradition that
shows how a lot can be achieved by the
initiatives of the public, without any government
support, said Sanjeev Reddy, biodiversity expert
from the Government First Grade College in
Bidar.
We seem to neglect sparrows and other small
birds because they lack the majesty of big
animals like the tiger or the beauty of birds like
peacock. There are government projects to
protect the tiger and other animals and birds.
But unlettered villagers teach us how important
it is to protect small animals and birds too. On
World Sparrow Day March 20 it is time to
salute such people and laud the folk traditions
that help protect the wildlife, he said.
HIGH COURT BUILDING of HYDERABAD: The
High Court stands on the south bank of the River
Musi. This is one of the finest buildings in the
city, built in red and white stones in Saracenic
style. The Plan of the High Court was drawn up
by Mr Shankar Lal of Jaipur and the local engineer
who executed the design was Janab Mehar Ali
Fazil.
The construction started on 15th April, 1915 and
was completed on 31st March, 1919(less than
4 years). On Tuesday 20th April, 1920 the High
Court building was inaugurated by the Ruler.
It is interesting to note that while digging the
foundation for the High Court, ruins of the Qutb
Shahi Palaces, namely Hina Mahal and Nadi
Mahal were unearthed. The High Court looks
beautiful and impressive from the Naya Pul at
sunset.
After its construction, a silver model of the High
Court with a silver key was presented to the
Nizam by the Judiciary during the Silver Jubilee
Celebrations in 1936. The facsimile of the
buildings was perfectly carved in a thick sheet
of silver weighing about 300 kgs. The model is
now in the Haveli Museum.
The main building of the High Court was
constructed in the year 1919 by the then
Government of Hyderabad accommodating Six
Judges besides accommodation for the Office
Staff, record rooms and Advocates Hall.
When the High Court of Andhra Pradesh was
formed in 1956 as a consequence of States Re
organisation Act, the Judges strength was
increased to 12. The existing accommodation
at that time was only inadequate to meet the
requirements of the larger High Court and so
the additional building was constructed in
1958-59. The entire office rooms, record rooms,
42
chambers of advocates (42 in all) and the rooms
for law officers were located in this building. The
record rooms, Officer Rooms in the main building
were modified to provide chambers and Court
Hall accommodation for 14 Judges.
By 1970, the institution of cases of the High Court
has gone up to 35,000 as against 20,000 in 1958.
The Judges strength had also risen from 14 to
21. To provide additional accommodation for
Judges, Staff and Advocates and Law Officers, the
third building was proposed and the main
building and Annexes buildings can locate 24
Court Halls and 26 Chambers.
One-rupee idli sambar a hit in Chennai: -The
aroma of freshly-prepared sambar wafts through
the air as hungry people line up for breakfast
outside one of the 73 centres that provide idli,
sambar rice and curd rice all staple diet in
Tamil Nadu for a paltry amount in
Chennai.Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaas
latest venture to win the hearts of the masses is
gaining steam, as serpentine queues spill out
on the pavement outside these breakfast
places.And it is cheap! Idli @ Re 1, sambar rice @
Rs 5 and curd rice @ Rs 3! Its no scam, but a state
government-sponsored scheme. As I stood
outside one of the centres, I saw two young men
order 20 idlis each. They drowned the idlis in
sambar, mashed them and downed the mixture.
They even went up four times to the counter to
get a refill for the sambar. The lady at the counter
never hesitated as she served them over and
over again. The diners seemed gratified. The idlis
are checked to make sure they weigh 100
grams each. Sanitary Officer K Vasudevan checks
the cleanliness of the premises and also the size
of the idlis to make sure they are uniform. I have
nine centres in my area and I manage to check
at least six every day, he says with a smile. He
did not see any reason to complain after his
inspection.I walked up to Ravi, an auto rickshaw
driver, and asked him what he thought of the
food. Ravi said he found the idli a bit hard, but
people around him disagreed. They all said it
was great. A few of the young men and women
said they come to the eatery every day for
breakfast and lunch. We work nearby and this
place is perfect for us. The food is good and its
cheap. There is a notice prominently displayed
announcing that there wont be any takeaways,
perhaps to ensure that people dont buy from
here and sell elsewhere for a profit.Most of the
people eating at the centre are labourers, but
not all. If it is cheap, clean and available on my
way to work, why not? says a bank clerk, one of
the many customers. Many children too are
eating from their mothers plates and some are
packing the idli sambar in tiffins to take to
schoolEvery 15 minutes a woman sweeps the
entire place clean. She also wipes clean the
tables, which are actually writing boards. The
place is spic-and-span. The scheme started only
last month, so everything looks new.In the
43
kitchen, Im impressed with the huge shiny
vessels in which the sambar is prepared. A young
girl sat cutting tomatoes while another placed
idlis into a huge vessel. The idlis seemed to be in
great demand. Every 10 minutes the servers
called out to the cashier to stop selling coupons
as they ran out of idlis. It takes 20 minutes for one
batch of idlis to be ready. Some people waited
patiently while others left. I am already late for
work, I cannot wait another 20 minutes, said one
customer.The employees are happy as are the
customers. Vasudevan says the centre sells
around 3,000 idlis a day, 750 packets of sambar
rice and 500 packets of curd rice. When asked
how they manage to keep the prices so low, he
says, The government subsidises everything,
there is a subsidy of 90 paise per idli, Rs 5 for
sambar rice and Rs 3.50 for curd rice.The rice,
urad dal and oil are bought from ration shops at
subsidised rates. The Chennai municipal
corporation is in charge of the scheme but the
centre is manned by 16 women from a self-help
group. Actually I have only 12 women in my
group. I have employed four from another
group, says S Shanti, head of the self-help group.
There is no holiday, so we take leave in turns.
We get Rs 300 per day as salary. We buy only
vegetables; the rest is supplied by the
corporation. The vessels, furniture and the
electricity bill are paid for by the corporation.
The self-help group supplies only the labour
component, adds Shanti. These women are not
bothered about the profit or loss in the scheme,
but are quite happy with the daily wage they
earn. In the back room, two women vigorously
wash plates which pile up at an astonishing
pace. Idlis are served on stainless steel
platesThere are 73 centres in Chennai but we
still have not covered the entire city, says
Vasudevan. When asked about rural Tamil Nadu,
he says, As of now we are sticking to the
corporations, maybe amma (Jayalalithaa) will
announce a plan for the rural areas later.
Customers waiting outside said they were
satisfied with the scheme. To twist a saw around,
the way to a voters heart seems to be through
his stomach. (Please see last cover page for photo)
March 2013: - THIS IS THE ONLY TIME WE WILL
SEE AND LIVE THIS EVENTThis year March has 5
Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. This happens
once every 823 years. This is called money bags.
Mon 4 11 18 25
Tue 5 12 19 26
Wed 6 13 20 27
Thu 7 14 21 28
Fri 1 8 15 22 29
Sat 2 9 16 23 30
Sun 31 3 10 17 24
Capital Gate Building: The Leaning Tower of
Abu Dhabi: - Abu Dhabis 160 metre-high
Capital Gate skyscraper leans a gravity-defying
18 degrees to the west and has been verified as
the worlds furthest leaning man-made tower
by the Guinness Book of World Records.It has
more than four times the lean of the Leaning
Tower of Pisa at about 3.99 degrees. The 35-
44
storey tower, which opened less than a year ago
after five years of construction, is fast becoming
one of Abu Dhabis most famous landmarks.A
visit to the skyscraper requires a switch of
elevators along the way, because the lifts cant
operate all the way up the leaning building in
one go. The flashy lobby features an enormous
glass chandelier that screams luxury. The
extravagance continues high up in the building:
the five-star hotel Hyatt Capital Gate occupies
the 18th to 33rd floors. It includes 189
guestrooms including the Presidential suite,
which costs from approximately $3500.
(Please see last cover page for photo)
Omar Ali masjid in Brunei (Made out of Pure
Gold): - Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque is a
royal Islamic mosque located in Bandar Seri
Begawan, the capital of the Sultanate of Brunei.
The mosque is one of the most spectacular
mosques in the Asia Pacific and a major landmark
and tourist attraction of Brunei.The mosque is
built in an artificial lagoon on the banks of the
Brunei River at Kampong Ayer, the village in the
water. It has marble minarets and golden domes
with courtyards and lush gardens full of fountains.
The mosque is surrounded by a plethora of trees
and floral gardens which in Islam symbolize
heaven. A bridge reaches across the lagoon to
Kampong Ayer in the middle of the river.
Another marble bridge leads to a structure in
the lagoon meant as a replica of a 16th Century
Sultan Bolkiah mahligai barge.
A real-Life Mermaid Who Swims With the
Sharks: -Hannah Fraser, 36, is a professional
underwater swimmer, ocean activist, model and
artist. This Australian real-life mermaid has been
fascinated by mermaids since the age of three.
She made her own mermaid tail using orange
plastic material at the age of nine after watching
the mermaid movie splash starring Daryl
Hannah. Since her childhood, she has been
practicing free diving and breath holding in her
pool. In 2002, she made her second mermaid
tail which was a long tail much evolved and
functional than her childhood tail. This tail was
made of a plastic boomerang, flippers and two
hangers with a lot of duct tape inside the suit
material. This ocean environmentalist has swum
with various ocean creatures like sting rays,
dolphins, sharks, sea lions, turtles, etc. in the
open ocean. Being an ocean activist, Hannah is
presently working on a project with Cetaceans
and Whaleman Foundation to end the slaughter
of thousands of Whales and Dolphins all over
the world. (Please see last cover page for photo)
Dont worry about failures, worry about the chances
you miss when you dont even try.
45
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46
This case is an example how forest officers in
trying to safeguard the public interest get
harassed by abuse of the process of law. D.
Nagabhushanam, DFO, Hyderabad and D. Ramraj,
ForestRange Officer, Hyderabad ( South) Range
were threatened with contempt proceedings in
the High Court and they were on the verge of
punishment for the alleged contempt of court
order. I t was sheer the tenacity and
perseverance of the D.F.O and his staff that saved
him and his subordinate officer from the
predicament.Royyala Shankaraiah and others
claimed in Writ Petition No. 23177 of 2012 that
they are in possession and enjoyment of their
patta land of an extent of Acs. 36.39 gts in Sy, No.
46 (Acs.17.37gts) and Sy. No.47 (Acs.19.02gts)
situated in Kothapet village of Keshampet
Mandal, Mahbubnagar district. They complained
to the court that the staff of Forest Department
of Hyderabad Forest Division are causing
obstruction and are interfering with their
possession and enjoyment. They succeeded in
getting an interim direction on 26.09.2012
restraining the forest staff from interfering with
their possession of the land. Though the village
is in Mahbubnagar district, the forest of Porandla
Block including the two survey numbers is under
LEGAL NOTES
Royyala Shankaraiah and 1 9 ot he rs Vs .
D. Nagabhus hanam, DFO and anot he r
Hyderabad Forest Division. The staff of Forest
Department duty bound as they are resisted
the attempt of the petitioners to occupy the
land,The petitioners with the interim order of
the court in their hands resorted to contempt
proceedings against the DFO and the Range
Officer. The DFO filed a counter affidavit
opposing the contempt petition. He felt he was
not on strong ground to escape punishment.
He therefore made a deep probe and got
sufficient material to oppose the claim. He filed
an additional affidavit stating that the
petitioners suppressed material facts. In fact,
they had filed a Civil Suite in O.S. No 79 of 1988
for injunction against the respondents in the
Court of Junior Civil Judge at Shadnagar. The I.A.
No. 189 of 1988 for a temporary injunction was
dismissed on 29.08.19888 and the suite itself
was eventually dismissed on 08.06.1999. An
appeal was filed in the District Court,
Mahbubnagar which was also dismissed on
16.02.2004.On the forest side, Pongondla Block
was proposed to be constituted a reserved
forest which among others included the two Sy.
Nos. in question and a notification under Sec. 7
of theHyderabad Forest Act, 1326 was issued
which was published in the Government
47
Gazette dated 04.02.1341 F. Consequently the
Forest Settlement Officer issued a declaration
under Sec. 10 of the said Act inviting claims and
objections. This declaration was published in the
Government Gazette dated 26.07.1343 F. The
Forest Settlement Officer considered the claim
in respect of Sy. Nos. 46 and 47 of Kothapet village
and passed order on 03.05.1344 F. holding that
the patta was granted after issuance of the
notification under Sec. 7 of the Forest Act
without the sanction of the Government and the
claim for exclusion of the land from the
proposed reservation was therefore rejected.
Porandla Block was finally declared by the
Government as Reserved Forest under Sec. 19 of
the Forest Act. This notification was published in
the Government Gazette dated 28.04.1955.The
matter was heard by the Honble Justice C.V.
Nagarjuna Reddy. It was held that the petitioners
have approached the court with unclean hands
and secured an interim direction pleading that
they are in possession of the land suppressing
the fact that the trial court disbelieved their
version that they are in possession of the land;
and dismissed the suite for injunction. The Court
held further that, the plea of the petitioners that
they are in possession of the land and that the
respondents are interfering with their
possession is not acceptable.The contempt
petition is dismissed on 22.02.2013. Since
contempt petition was filed with false and
misleading averments, the petitioners are
awarded exemplary costs of Rs.10,000 which
according to the court order has to be credited
to Government account,Contempt Case No.
1654 of 2012.
K.B.R.
FELICITATION OF NANOGENERIAN MEMBER OF
ASSOCITION
Sri A.Ramakrishna IFS, Retd.Prl.Chief Conservator of Forests was greeted on his 90th BIRTH DAY
(10th April,2013) at his residence ,by the SECRETARY & Jt.SECRETARY of the Retired Forest Officers
Association-A.P. , and Felicitated him with a Bouquet & Shawl on behalf of the Association and
wished him many more happy returns of the day. Alhough Sri Ramakrishna garu is ailing for some
time with old age problems and confined to the bed, he his mentally very alert and expressed his
gratitude for the good gesture of the Association. Specially Mrs.Ramakrishna was overwhelmed
with happiness & profusely thanked the Association for the felicitation & for remembering them.
-SECRETARY
48
Sri K. A. Madhva Raja, a
retired Assistant
Conservator of Forests,
passed away on
31.03.2013 at his at his
daughters place in
Nalgonda town. He was
ailing for some time
and received
treatment at the Kamineni Medical College
Hospital, Narketpally. He was 86.
Kallimbille Ananda Simha Madhva Raja was born
on 10.01.1927 in Anantapur town. He was the
eldestamong the fifteen siblings of Sri K.P.
Ananda Simha and Srimati Seetamma. He had
education in Anantapur and Nelamangala of
Bangalore district and passed B.Sc. from the
Madras Christian College in 1946.
Between 1947 and 1954, Madhva Raja worked
as Storage Entomology Assistant under the Board
of Revenue of the Madras Government. He was
selected in 1954 for appointment as Forest
Ranger by the then Govt. of Andhra. He
underwent forestry training at the Madras Forest
College, Coimbatore (renamed in 1955 as the
Southern Forest Rangers College) during 1954 -
56.
During 1956 and 1959, he worked as Range
Officer of Territorial Ranges of Bairluty,
Madanapalli, Nandyal, Kodur and as Assistant
Chenchu Officer at Nandyal and Instructor at
Forest School, Yellandu.For a longer period,
between 1962 and 1971, he worked as Research
Range Officer at Araku and Rajahmundry.
OBITUARY
K. A. Madhva Raja 1 0 . 0 1 . 1 9 2 7 3 1 . 0 3 . 2 0 1 3
In 1971, Madhva Raja was promoted and
posted as Soil Conservation Officer at
Hyderabad, which post he held for five years.
He did monumental work as Pines Research
Officer at Anakapalli between 1976 and 1983.
He retired on superannuation on 28.02.1983.
His interest on Pines was so mu ch that, after
retirement he revisited the Pine plantations in
Vishakhapatnam district and authored a book
on Tropical Pines. While in service and after
retirement, Madhva Raja participated in many
silvicultural conferences, Seminars on Tropical
Pines, Agro Forestry, Eucalyptus, Bamboo, Canes
etc. He is a unique example of working as a full-
fledged employee / consultant between 1983
and 1993 for Industries like Harhar Poly Fibres,
Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, Bilt Tree Tech Ltd.
etc. He was well Informed in natural and applied
sciences. He was keenly interested in Matter
and Energy reactions, Atomic Physics,
Cosmology and Time. Plant life however
remained his favourite subject.
Married to Smt. Saroja in 1959, Madhva Raja had
a peaceful and harmonious life with one
daughter, Kamala, married to Ranjan; and three
grandsons. His wife predeceased him in 1998.
He married again a woman by name Manga.He
was a keen lover of Carnatic music and tried his
hand at oil painting. He was an atheist.Madhva
Raja will be fondly remembered by his daughter,
son-in-law, and grandsons. He has a good
number of friends and relatives to mourn his
loss. 31
st
March 2013 has been the end of the
March of his life. A great soul, in deed.May his
soul rest in peace! K.B.R
49
Registered with RNI R.No. Apeng/2002.2185
Postal Regn. No.LII/RNP/HDC/1154/2012-14
BOOK POST
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Office of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Aranya Bhavan,
5th Floor, Room No. 514, Saifabad, Hyderabad - 500 004, A.P.
For details please see page no. 42
V
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For details please see page no.44
For details please see page no. 43
For details please see page no.40

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