As I LEARNT FROM our revered Sanskrit teacher(RIP) way back:
<Pustaka shtha tu ja Vidya,
Para hashta gotom dhanam,
Karya kale samutpanney,
Na sha vidya-na tat dhanam---"
Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 09:55:39 -0800From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: RE: [Assam]
Tigers & tribals: Tug of war continues - CSE News Bulletin [November 14,
2007]To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED],It seems you
are on top of things as well. As I said a large amount has been approved by
ASHAnet.org Seattle and Atlanta chapters but can only be sent across to India
after Indian govt issues FCRA clearance which will take a few months. In the
meantime AFNA is sending some money since it already has FCRA clearance to send
money to Parijat --before the deadline to construct classrooms for the govt
site visit.Umeshmc mahant <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
<there to take up work on www.parijatacademy.org which has received approval
for funds from Seatlle and Atlanta chapters.>2 months back -after reading
Rajen Barua's appeal to Raiz "--Eonlokok kiba eta kori diyok" I did call in
Uttam Teron and Explained what I can do for them in 2 months(There is Still
Time, Brother) All for Rs40,000/- on no-profit highest economy basis--4 class
rooms+Pucca walls/floor + complete desk+comfortable seats.Last week I phoned
"You never came back---" He said ruefully "I could not find even that much"mm
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 23:54:53 -0800From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL
PROTECTED]: [Assam] Tigers & tribals: Tug of war continues - CSE News Bulletin
[November 14, 2007]a similar discussion we had in DC about having slums or
"green lungs"in Delhi etc -- with Chintan India founder at www.ashanet.org/dc
meet this sunday - while there to take up work on www.parijatacademy.org
which has received approval for funds from Seatlle and Atlanta [EMAIL
PROTECTED] wrote:
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 20:52:28 -0800 (PST)To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL
PROTECTED]: Tigers & tribals: Tug of war continues - CSE News Bulletin[November
14, 2007]Please add [EMAIL PROTECTED] to your address book so that this
newsletter doesn't get filtered or tossed into your bulk folder For comments
write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] =============================CSE's Fortnightly News
Bulletin [November 14, 2007] ============================= An e-bulletin from
CSE, India, to our network of friends and professionals interested in
environmental issues. Scroll to the bottom of this page for information on how
to subscribe and unsubscribe. INSIDE: Tigers and tribals - Tug of war continues
(Editorial) Clean Air campaign news - Tracking air pollution on Diwali - Air
pollution reaching critical levels in city - Slide show: Is Delhi losing the
pollution battle? Gobar Times Green Schools Award From Down To Earth magazine -
Sukhomajri and Bunga: 32 KMs separates rural ruin from prosperity - News:
Resettlement, rehabilitation. New policy old story - Special Report: Healthcare
in Punjab’s Malwa in shambles - News: Delhi to get interceptor sewers CSE's
short courses: - Managing information resources in the digital age - City water
and waste management: Alternative paradigms - Understanding EIA: From screening
to decision making - Agenda for survival: Summer certificate course on
policies, politics and practices of environmental management
=============================Tigers and tribals (By Sunita Narain)
=============================Tigers or tribals? Tribals versus tigers. This is
how the discussion on the tribal forest rights act is being framed. The law,
which was enacted by parliament a while ago, is aimed at conferring land rights
on people who already live in forested regions. The government says it wants to
correct a historical wrong against people on whom rights were never settled
when forest areas were earmarked for conservation. Quite right. But these homes
of the poorest also house the country’s magnificent wild animals, like tigers.
It is critical that their habitat should be protected and future safeguarded.
This is also quite right. Is it possible to reconcile the interests of what
seems to be two competing groups? Two years ago the debate was stormy. The
draft forest rights bill was being worked upon by a government just sworn into
power. Around this time, it was discovered—to everyone’s horror—that all tigers
from what was supposed to be a protected area, the Sariska National Park, had
been poached. Opposition to the draft bill mounted; conservationists argued
that this “populist” measure would be the last nail in the tiger’s coffin. I
was asked to head a task force to suggest how tigers could be safeguarded. Over
three months the specialists we met believed that it was important to reserve
areas for wildlife. These would need to be inviolate areas—exclusively
earmarked for animals where human interference would have to be kept at its
minimum. Otherwise, they said, the tiger would not survive. They believed that
if the forest rights bill gave people ownership over these lands it would be
disastrous. I approached the issue from different perspectives. I had for long
understood that the future of people and forests is entwined. I also knew from
experience that regeneration of forests is not possible unless local people
benefit. But I was willing to listen to the experience of those who believed in
the tiger. If co-existence was not possible, we needed to find strategies to
relocate people who lived in the tiger’s territory. The issue seemed simple,
but the replies shocked me. After 30 years of wildlife conservation efforts,
fronted by the country’s most powerful, we had forgotten people. In these 30
years we had managed to relocate 80-odd villages from protected reserves. We
estimated that another 1,500 villages existed in just 28 tiger reserves. Worse,
relocation was done in the most ham-handed and inhuman manner. We met families
who had decided to return to the harassment and poverty of their homes within
the sanctuary as their resettled parcel of land was full of stones. The
authorities had done just about everything to make people trespassers in their
own land; everything to turn them against the tiger we want to protect. This
would not work we concluded. Our answer was two-pronged. One, we agreed that
inviolate space was important for wild animals. But the people who were making
space for the tiger needed to be given a good deal—not marginal forestland
which would make them more destitute. Two, we said that we needed to be
realistic. We suggested the need to identify and prioritize relocation of those
villages that were in the most critical of wildlife habitats. This had to be
done within a time-bound schedule. In the remaining villages, which would have
to live in the reserves, we suggested a new bargain—sharing benefits of
conservation with local communities—from preferential shares in tourism to
collaborative management of our reserves. This led to some developments. The
government agreed to enhance the package for relocated families from Rs 1 lakh
to Rs 10 lakh; it agreed to conduct a census of tigers in the country, which
would pinpoint their presence in different habitats. The tiger census is the
first step to identify the critical habitats that need to be protected and to
list the human settlements that need to be relocated. With this done, the
agenda of co-existence will need to kick in. But unfortunately, the tribal
versus tiger paradigm will keep the fires burning. It would seem that the two
lobbies are bent on scoring points, not building consensus. First, the tiger
lobby blocked the bill. Then, an uneasy truce was brokered to provide for
relocation of people and maintain their rights. In late 2005, the bill
presented to parliament included a provision that temporary pattas (land deeds)
would be given to people who were to be relocated from sanctuaries and national
parks. This would ensure that their rights were protected, but also it would
ensure that government would undertake their relocation within a time-bound
schedule. Then the tribal lobby, which has the upper hand in parliament upped
the ante. In late 2006, the act, finalized by a joint parliamentary committee,
dropped this clause. Inside, it inserted an altogether new term, critical
wildlife habitats, which would need to be established as areas to be kept
inviolate for wildlife. In the rules for the act to go into force, they have
rubbed in this point. They want ministries to issue guidelines regarding the
nature, process, validation and interpretation of data to be collected and
roles of expert committees who will now designate critical wildlife habitats,
virtually questioning the legality of all protected areas. This has led
conservationists to react. They want all wildlife areas (some 600-odd) to be
re-designated as critical wildlife habitats and removed from the ambit of the
act. Now they have the upper hand. For now, the act is stalled. The next round
belongs to the tribal lobby. It is after all a wrestling match. In all this,
let us be clear, the losers are tribals and tigers. It is not tigers versus
tribals. It is everyone against them. Read editorial online >>
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover_nl.asp?mode=2To comment, write to >> [EMAIL
PROTECTED] ============================= Clean Air campaign: Tracking Delhi's
air pollution ============================= Delhi is in danger of losing the
gains of its CNG programme as pollution levels are once again creeping up to
pre-CNG levels. Recent air quality data in Delhi finds that pollution levels
are on the upswing again after a few years of control. All soft options have
all been exhausted. Restricting car numbers and upgrading public transport are
the only options for the city. At stake are global events like the 2010
Commonwealth Games and our health.Read the press release (Nov. 6, 2007):
http://www.cseindia.org/Aboutus/press_releases/press_20071106.htm View
presentation, Is Delhi losing the pollution battle >
http://www.slideshare.net/equitywatch/is-delhi-losing-the-pollution-battle See
also: Delhi's air pollution levels are already threatening to spiral out of
control, as the city celebrates a smoggy Diwali. Ambient air quality data
during Diwali this year in Delhi shows levels of particulates and gases like
PM10, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide have increased significantly. Read
the press release (Nov. 10, 2007):
http://www.cseindia.org/Aboutus/press_releases/press_20071110.htm
================================= Gobar Times Green Schools Award
================================= The Gobar Times Green Schools Award
acknowledges the most environmentally responsible schools of the country. The
award instituted by CSE every year -- is based on the self-assessment of
environmental practices carried out by schools. The award seeks to help schools
continuously improve their environmental management. Read more >
http://www.cseindia.org/programme/eeu/gsp_award2007.htm Contact Sumita Dasgupta
([EMAIL PROTECTED]) ================================= More in Down To Earth
magazine ================================= Sukhomajri and Bunga – 32 KMs
separates rural ruin from prosperitySukhomajri’s ascent to prosperity was built
on the regeneration of its natural resources – forest and water. It had village
autonomy and power to make decisions. That all started falling apart when the
forest department intervened, robbing the village of resources and initiative.
Nonetheless it inspired many villages across India, like Bunga a mere 30 Km
away, which has a thriving economy. Two villages two different tales. Read this
Down To Earth cover story >>
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover_nl.asp?mode=1--------------------------------------------------------
Special Report: Healthcare in Punjab’s Malwa in shamblesPunjab’s Malwa region
grabbed national attention some years ago when several studies revealed the
link between heavy pesticide use and cancer. The 2007 State of Environment
Report (SoER) prepared by the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology,
released on Aug. 28, only confirms what previous studies had found - a grim
tale. With the region accounting for 17 per cent of the total pesticide use in
India (for its cotton fields) cancer is just one of the fallouts. Birth
defects, foetus loss are some of the other impacts. Medical facilities remain
dismal and farmers are still ignorant about the dangers of pesticide overuse.
Read this article >>
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover_nl.asp?mode=3--------------------------------------------------------
News: Delhi to get interceptor sewers The Delhi government has cleared a Rs
1,950-crore project to tap drains carrying sewage from colonies not connected
to the city sewers. Interceptor sewers are seen by the government as a
temporary solution to the problem of untreated water reaching the Yamuna. Read
this article >>
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover_nl.asp?mode=4=============================
Short Training Programmes ============================= Short course: Managing
information in the digital age (New Delhi, Dec. 11-14, 2007) A popular short
course on how to better manage and disseminate information resources - Sourcing
information (information acquisition and research) - Classification and
indexing of digitised resources - Primer on management of audio-visual
resources (films, photos, CDs) - Digital library fundamentals (focus on open
source models) - Information outreach: Product planning, services - Online
presence: reaching out through the Web Register online >>
http://www.cseindia.org/aagc/managinginformation.htm Course contact: Kiran
Pandey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
-------------------------------------------------------- City water & waste
management: Alternative paradigms (New Delhi, Jan. 14-17,2008) Comprises
hands-on sessions on designing localised wastewater treatment systems,
interactive seminars, detailed case studies, and field trips that help explore
alternatives -- from the current capital, water and material-intensive
processes of urban water management to a more cost effective, non-sewerage
paradigm. Register online >>
http://www.cseindia.org/aagc/citywater-workshop.htm Course contact:
R.K.Srinivasan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
-------------------------------------------------------- Training:
Understanding EIA: From screening to decision making (New Delhi, Feb. 25-29,
2008) Recognising the need to develop the capacities of state-level regulators
and appraisal committees to screen and scope the Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) process, this hands-on course gives participants a better
understanding of how to condict & evaluate environmental and social impacts of
various industrial projects, and the ability to review EIA reports and conduct
post-EIA monitoring. Register online >> http://www.cseindia.org/aagc/eia.htm
Course contact: Sujit Kumar Singh <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
-------------------------------------------------------- Agenda for survival:
Summer certificate course on policies, politics and practices of environmental
management in India A two-month course to explore the environment-development
debate in India. A week-long field trip to rural India. Lectures, readings,
presentations, and debates & local excursions. Faculty include eminent
activists and policy makers. - Governance imperatives - Managing natural
resources today - Urban growth and its challenges - Spotlight on industrial
growth - Poverty and the biomass economy- Global environment negotiations:
focus on climate changeRegister online >
http://www.cseindia.org/aagc/agenda.htm Course contact > Aditya Batra ([EMAIL
PROTECTED]) ============================== Rate your pollution control board
============================== All of us are concerned about rising pollution
levels, dirty rivers, mountains of waste generated and destruction of our
immediate environment due to rapid urbanisation and industrialisation. In India
we have ineffective regulatory mechanisms. In this context, CSE has initiated a
research programme to study the status of environmental regulations and
regulatory institutions in India. We need your help. Many of you have
interacted with state pollution control boards (PCBs). We want you to help us
identify the strengths, weaknesses and gaps in the existing regulatory regimes.
We have prepared two separate questionnaires – one for the industry and the
other for NGOs. Do take some time to complete a brief questionnaire. Take the
short survey > http://www.cseindia.org/programme/industry/questionnair.htm For
more information on this project, contact < [EMAIL PROTECTED] >
==============================Jobs, volunteer opportunities at CSE
============================== CSE offers many interesting career
opportunities: from researching on water, air pollution, livelihoods and
industry-related issues, to reporting on the environment and disseminating
information with the web team. You can be a part of our organisation -- as an
employee or as an intern/volunteer. To know more about job openings at CSE >>
http://www.cseindia.org/joinus-index.htm Intern/volunteer at CSE >>
http://www.cseindia.org/volunteer.htm ============================== About this
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even been officially released yet. Try it!Umesh SharmaWashington D.C.
1-202-215-4328 [Cell]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate
School of Education,Harvard University,Class of
2005http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/index.html (Edu info)http://hbswk.hbs.edu/
(Management Info)www.gse.harvard.edu/iep (where the above 2 are used
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