The herbby | 21-08-2013 05:00 |
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 Trillidium (Trillium) govanianum. Liliaceae. Nagchatri. Tripati. This year there has been an unprecedented global demand of Tripati herb from Himalaya. Smuggling of herb this year has broken all records. In the beginning of the year there were seizures at Uttarkhand and Himachal Pradesh. Then there was about 20 qts seizure at Bani in Kathua district. All smugglers were Himachalis in connivance with locals and forest staff. From June till today smuggling picked up from Kashmir valley. Forest department seized huge quantity in Baramulla district. Then there was seizure by police at Satwari. Recently one truck loaded with fruit boxes was smuggling hidden boxes of Tripati herb was seized at Lakhanpur by Excise and Sale tax department. Unfortunately there has been no seizures inside the forests or villages around these forests where villagers are engaged in the illegal extraction of Tripati and other herbs. It appears that the local forest staff is fully cooperating in illegal extraction. Most of the seizures have been made while transporting on roads. There is a total failure of Forest Policy to conserve rare and threatened species inspite of the fact that there is total ban of extraction of medicinal plants from forests and scrapping of Kuth Act. There was a well planned conspiracy to scrap the Kuth Act to help and facilitate the smugglers in illegal and free extraction of medicinal plants and their transportation. After scrapping of Kuth Act, J&K Government failed to make another Act for the scientific management, conservation and controlled extraction of medicinal plants from the state which would have yielded huge revenue to the Forest department and also increased productivity of the herbs in Forests. This is the time when Forest department and J&K government should enact a policy, Act, Rules and Regulations for the scientific management of the herbal wealth of the state. If right steps are not taken immediately the speed at which extraction is going on, it is feared that most of the herbal species will get extinct. |
