Shramik Yalgaar, a social organisation working for the rights of tribals and forest workers in the district launched an agitation at Mohadi village called 'Bamboo Mukti Satyagraha' today, to enable Burud community bamboo craftsmen access to cheaper bamboo as raw material.
Addressing a press conference here, Shramik Yalgaar's founder-president Advocate Paromita Goswami said that bamboo craftsmen from the Burad community are ubable to procure or purchase bamboo due to high rates fixed by the forest department which posed a threat to their very survival.
She said that the rate for each piece of green bamboo used to cost anything between Rs 35 and Rs 45 during the rule of the Congress-led Democratic Front government in Maharashtra.
"It was simply unaffordable to these poor people. The BJP government slashed the earlier tax of 21 per cent to reduce its cost, but even that is unaffordable. Hence we had to launch the agitation," Paromita said.
She alleged that the forest department is reluctant to supply green bamboo which is necessary to make some items like baskets and mats resulting in illegal bamboo cutting in forests by these craftsmen.
She stressed that the Burud community bamboo craftsmen are ready to purchase bamboo at subsidised rates but the government never paid any attention to their needs.
"Hence, we launched an agitation after informing Chief Conservators of Forest G P Garad and Sanjay Thakre, prepared to face any action," she said.
Accordingly, Burud community villagers from Mohadi, along with Paromita entered the forest buffer zone of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve on Thursday morning and cut bamboo in the presence of forest personnel.
