DO NOT BURN THE PICTURE FOR THE FRAME
It was way back in 1965, when the
present state of Uttarakhand (UK) had not as yet been carved out from the
geographical boundaries of Uttar Pradesh (UP) that, its political leadership
spurred and pushed by some right thinking bureaucrats in the government,
conceived and implemented a progressive socio economic scheme for the
development of horticulture in the Mussoorie – Chamba forest belt. The then
Chief Minister of UP, Shrimati Sucheta Kripalani dedicated the Mussoorie –
Chamba Phal Patta scheme to the people of this region of Tehri Garhwal with
extremely noble and well meaning intentions, wherein forest land under the
Forest Department was given on lease to local and other people for cultivation
of apples. The lease was given under the Government Grants Act, on the basis of
draws which were held in the collectorate at Tehri and an Agreement signed
between the government and the individual. In the Agreement, the government is
represented by the District Magistrate of Tehri, who is termed as the Pattadata
and the lessee, called the Pattedar. The forest land comprised Banj, Kookat and
Mouru trees with thick wild undergrowth and clearing these for preparing the
land for planting of apple saplings, was a very challenging and uphill task for
all those who were the beneficiaries of the scheme. Moreover, the terms of the
Agreement exclusively catered for the land to be used for cultivation of apple
trees only and without any provision for the construction of any dwelling unit
for the pattedar/servant/chowkidar/ to stay in and develop and maintain the
orchard. The penalty for any transgression of the terms is very severe and
invites cancellation/termination of the lease by the pattadata. Such leases are
then given to persons who had earlier applied and are in the long waiting list,
on the basis of seniority as determined by the concerned authorities.
The Mussoorie – Chamba Phal Patta scheme
has been in place for about more than 40 years, given the gestation period of
about seven years for an apple plant to bear fruit, but there has been no
perceptible change / improvement in the socio economic development/ growth of
the area as also the standard of living of its people, which the scheme was
supposed to contribute to. The reasons for this are many and varied. Prime
among these is the weather, wherein hail takes a very heavy toll on the
appearance / looks of the ripe fruit and makes it a loser in the competitive
market, which is flush with apples from Kashmir and Himachal as also Harsil and
Nowgaon in Uttarakhand. Hail during the fruit bearing season, pits the outside
of the apple and makes it appear less attractive, a very important aspect of
buyer psyche, which adversely affects the pricing of the product. This alone is
a huge factor in making apple farming in this area an unviable commercial
economic activity. Most orchards have been economically impacted by this
reality obtaining in the area and have thus made apple cultivation a non
sustainable financial activity, which only eats into ones resources without a
commensurate return. While, the use of nets to prevent hail from damaging the
looks of the fruit is an option that is available to farmers, it is again very
prohibitive in terms of costs. Most farmers have lost their investments, which
they made in their orchards, because of the abysmally low pricing of apples
grown in this belt. The annual sale hardly compensates the cost and is an
enduring drain on ones financial reserves. Then there is the problem of wild
animals and langurs, which live in the adjoining forests and are detrimental to
the growth and health of the apple trees. Barking deer and langurs, eat the
bark of the trees, thus killing it permanently. The district government
Horticulture Department, which is supposed to provide assistance to the farmers
in terms of making available good quality saplings, fertilizers, chemicals,
spray medicines, implements, knowledge, support and guidance, has been very
mediocre and lackluster in its delivery of responsibility. Other than issuing
to all pattedars an ‘Udhyan Card’ ,
which entitles one to buy what is available with the department on 50% subsidy,
there is nothing else which is worth mentioning in praise of the district
Horticulture Department , having its offices in various places along the
entire Mussoorie – Chamba belt. The
District Horticulture Officer (DHO), Tehri who has the delegated authority and
responsibility to regulate and manage the lease of these pattas on behalf of
the pattedar ie District Magistrate, Tehri is woefully ill equipped and
understaffed to perform his duties. His Phal Patta Amin, who has virtually
wrested complete control and authority in the matter, functions more as the de
facto DHO than the official incumbent. This is most undesirable in an
organization, because then it allows unrestrained authority to vest with a
subordinate officer who exploits this reality to corrupt the system. The Amin
has earned for himself in the area, the sobriquet Director Horticulture, owing
to his absolute control in all matters related with the regulation and
management of the pattas. The existing state of affairs is pathetic to say the
least.
Also, it defies logic and understanding that,
while clause 2 of the Agreement accepts the reality of either the pattedar or
else his agents/servants staying on the said land, yet they are expected to
stay here throughout the year under the open blue/ clouded/rainy/ snowing sky
with wind velocity of 50 to 60 kmph creating ambient conditions of extreme low
temperature during the winters. Construction of a permanent dwelling for either
the pattedar or else the servant/agent is not permitted in accordance with
government orders and is a cause for immediate termination of the lease.
Thatched huts/ tin sheds are inadequate to withstand the uncongenial weather
conditions and more so should one have his/her patta on North facing slopes,
which receive winds at great velocity, making
the situation still worse to brave the inhospitable climatic conditions.
Many a pattas have been cancelled /terminated for this very reason, making it
well nay impossible for anyone to continue using these phal pattas for the very
purpose these were leased for. Frustrated
and disgusted with the government’s apathy towards this partnership model of
the phal pattas, hundreds of people who were allotted these have transferred
(sold) their lease rights to others for a financial consideration and which is
in blatant transgression of the terms of the Agreement. There were as many as
69 pattas which were cancelled / terminated on 12 Feb 2009 for reasons of transfer
of patta, not paying the annual lease rent, construction of a permanent
structure on the lease land etc, vide a public notice published in a vernacular
news paper, but yet these continue to remain in the names of the defaulters.
Some of these pattedars or their heirs have made their property into commercial
ventures, in direct violation of the terms of the Agreement and they continue
to prosper and flourish under the patronage enjoyed by them in a quid pro quo
with the subordinate revenue officials. One such pattedar has even dared the
pattadata, by allowing a sizeable chunk of his land to be converted into a
motor road running through his patta, which allows access to a hotel in
Kanatal. Needless to say the hotel is doing roaring business, kind courtesy the
pattedar who has taken a stay from the District court in the matter and
presumably good sums of money have changed hands between the hotelier and his
accomplice in the deal. The pattadata, possibly under political pressure and an
indifferent government response to the challenge of resurrecting a derailed
scheme, which had tremendous potential to deliver for the purpose it was
launched, can only remain a mute spectator in this entire drama being played
under the phal patta scheme, which has become a cover up for making money under
the guise of commercial activity other than apple cultivation.
The government of Uttarakhand will be
well advised to revisit the phal patta scheme in the Mussoorie – Chamba belt
and carry out a constructive review of its purpose and the reality which
obtains here. It is an irony that, while so many apple orchards exist in this
belt wherein pattedars are trying their level best to break even, the
government has not thought about opening a cold storage and a small scale industrial
project, which can use the cosmetically low grade local apple for making juice,
jams/jelly/chutney, cider, vinegar etc and profit the growers/farmers by
consuming their apples locally at a fair price and without the exploitative
chain of the contractor/ transporter/stockist and retailer. The co-operative
business model must be given a try here to rejuvenate the phal patta scheme.
The success stories of many such schemes in villages around the country are a
living testimony to this proposal. Also, the Mussoorie - Dhanaulti – Chamba – New Tehri –
Bhagirathipuram – Tehri Dam Reservoir route has become popular with tourists
for its scenic beauty and pristine climate. The drive is on a beautifully laid
out mountain road, which is a pleasure to drive on amidst the pine and deodar
forests. There is a great demand for accommodation to lodge the tourists at an
affordable price, which compares very competitively with the high end Mahindra
Resort, Kanatal Terrace, Hermitage etc. Should the government of Uttarakhand
carry out some midcourse correction to its rigid policy of not allowing any
permanent construction on the patta land for use by the pattedars, then these
dwelling units could also double up as accommodation for back packing tourists
on a shoe string budget. This will not only provide additional rooms for
tourists at affordable prices but will also generate some income for the
pattedars, so as to sustain their respective orchards.
We need the bureaucrats who crowd the
Secretariat in Dehra Dun to become more aggressive in their thought process and
evolve as administrators who can also think out of the box, to inject new life
into the phal patta scheme launched as a brilliant initiative of the Uttar
Pradesh Government in 1965. Presently, lower revenue officials involved in the
scheme are exploiting the pattedars, who continue to play ball in the hope that
someday the State government may in a populist move make the lease land into
free hold property under official notification. If that happens then large
swathes of mountain slopes and land will become a haven for the real estate
mafia who will then move in with their JCBs, Dozers, Cranes, Trucks laden with
iron and steel and volumes of building material to completely destroy the
environment and the ecology of the hills, which has already suffered in the
making of the Tehri Dam. Can someone who feels dearly for his ancestral place,
plead with the politicians and the bureaucracy to shake out of their
indifference and make a difference? Do not burn the picture
for the frame.
Brig
S D Dangwal
