Indus Valley Times

By Chittaranjan Pani

Bhubaneswar, June 1: The kendu leaves being  an economic minor forest produce is paramount to the life and livelihood of millions of tribal and other traditional forest dwellers of the country.

Odisha is the second largest producer of Kendu leaves in the country. The kendu leaf produced here  has a high demand in national and international market due to its high texture and quality.

Odisha government has taken a very bold step since 2013 to deregulate the kendu leaf procurement  in Nabarangpur (KL) Division in an ostensible intention to facilitate and promote  the livelihood  of kendu leaves   pluckers  with the active involvement of  gram sabha/ gram panchayat  who is the real owner of kendu leaves including all the minor forest produces.

Subsequently, the state government has extended the deregulation to Malkangiri district in 2014.The KL department role hence forth rather to encourage Gram Sabha/ Gram Panchayat for its strong establishment for free buying and selling, diverts from its mandate of regulatory to facilitative role.

The KL department opens up phadis to  purchase the target number of kendu leaf kerries alloted to departmental officers. As per recent declaration, one Kerry that contains 40  green leaves cost Rs 2.80  to the kendu leaves department and  the said amount  is given to pluckers  through their respective bank accounts once the purchase is over.

It has been more than a decade since the deregulation was announced but the ground reality is very alarming. The nexus between the Kendu leaves department and the private players (buyers) playing all sorts of game to maximise their own profit in the name of deregulation in Nabarangpur Kendu Leaves Division. Few of the KL staffs are hand in gloves with these private parties for making money which hampers the pluckers right  in terms of  getting proper worth of money against their selling of leaves.

After deregulation, it has been observed that the private players rather being purchasing the targeted number of kerries/ standard bags allotted to them, they finish off purchasing by achieving 70-90% of kendu  leaves  showing different unacceptable reasons and go for private purchase with the help of kendu leaves departmental staff and political support which costs a huge revenue loss to the state exchequer.

Recently it was found in the Nuaguda Phadi of Tentulikhunti section that after the government purchase process was over, around 22 lakhs kerries worth Rs 61,60,000 were purchased privately in the name of Pujariguda gram panchayat.

Out of which around 8 lakhs kerries after being bagged stored  in the Central Godown of Majhiguda -1 of Nabarangpur (KL) Range being in the knowledge of  concerned departmental officer which is not permitted by Government laws.

 Around 7lakhs kerries being bagged stored in a private Godown in Kesriguda Village and rest of the leaves are still lying in the field for drying (yet to be lifted).

The pluckers who sold 22 lakhs no of  kerries worth Rs. 61,60,000 were not paid according to the norm price of Rs 2.80 per kerry fixed by the govt and received very low amount against the fixed price by the private party and there has not been any permission obtained from the concerned Gram Panchayat so far.

The Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC ) has now the key role to enquire about the matter and to confiscate the private purchased material stored in the government godown as soon as possible so as to initiate disciplinary action against the concerned departmental officers indulged in this regard. The kendu leaf department should also from now onwards show interest towards  the non-payment issue of the pluckers who sold their leaves to the private party purchasing in Nuaguda Phadi so that they can receive the actual payment from the Private layerSimillar Situation is prevailing more or less in other Kendu Leaf Ranges of Nabarangpur (KL) Division andJeypore (KL) Division.

It is surprising that some tainted retired officers are being again redeployed in their parent division to allow loot and to unlawfully support the private players for exploiting the pluckers of deregulated areas of Nabarangpur and Jeypore Kendu Leaf Division.

So proper initiatives should be taken by the Nabarangpur and Jeypore (KL) Division to ensure proper transparency and accountability in the above matters for smooth going of KL operation in the respective divisions.