Hacking a dream
A gunny bag full of confiscated axes and sickles is just about the only evidence that remains of what was once a successful van panchayat (VP). The Parvada village VP in Nainital was the exemplar that the forest department (FD) once showcased to the world and the World Bank to hardsell its joint forest management (JFM) programme. But today its members are at daggers drawn.
The dream turned sour when the VP was brought under the JFM. Money was pumped into the village body though a commendable voluntary conservation effort was already underway. The VP attracted unscrupulous elements who resented its sarpanch, Bhagirathi Devi's uprightness: not only did she seize the tools of those caught felling trees, she photographed them in the act to ensure that they were brought to book.
Some villagers connived with local officials managed to have her removed. She moved court, getting mired in a protracted legal battle. Though she was vindicated, her struggle continues. "If the situation gets out of hand, I can set it right by using brute force," says the area SDM. The ex-sarpanch, however, promises to fight back. Sadly the FD that had been trumpeting her as its mascot, dismisses her struggle as a local fracas over petty issues.