British Establishing Forest Department

 British Administration in Garhwal   -106

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History of British Rule/Administration over Kumaun and Garhwal (1815-1947) -123

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            History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon and Haridwar) -960

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                              By: Bhishma Kukreti (History Student)

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 British ruler established a separate forest department in 1864.  British government appointed head of forest department Dr. Brandish as Inspector General of Forest. Dr. Dietrich Brandis studied forest conservation  in Germany and he had vast knowledge of  forest conservation. Dr. Brandis inspected major Indian forests. Brandis inspected Bhabhar and upper Himalayan forests too.  Dr. Brandis wrote about tress of Bhabhar and upper Himalayas.

  Dr Brandis made a working plan with rules for forest conservation, growth and exploitation. Government passed a bill ‘Forest Act’ in 1878 and took major forest under Forest department. The forests of Garhal and Kumaon came under Indian Forest Department in 1868.

  Initially, there were no forest skilled officers in India. Therefore, government called forest experts from Europe.

   Initially, the forest job was very tedious and tiresome. Government handed over jobs to forest employees for surveying the forest, inspecting forest assets, describing trees etc. There were no roads for reaching forest zones. In Bhabhar region, the seasons were not suitable for living there. The forest employees were also supposed to insect and advice for fire protection too. Forest officials also had to submit the forests owned by villages and villagers.

  The most difficult job for forest officials was  to tackle the old culture of forest exploitation by villagers and forest mafia.

   The forest conservation became the basic policy of forest department.

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Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti Mumbai, India, bckukreti@gmail.com 5/6/2017

History of Garhwal – Kumaon-Haridwar (Uttarakhand, India) to be continued… Part -961

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*** History of British Rule/Administration over British Garhwal (Pauri, Rudraprayag, and Chamoli1815-1947) to be continued in next chapter

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(The History of Garhwal, Kumaon, Haridwar write up is aimed for general readers)

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References  

 1-Shiv Prasad Dabral ‘Charan’, Uttarakhand ka Itihas, Part -7 Garhwal par British -Shasan, part -1, page- 287-312

 2- Webber T.W.  , 1902, Forest of upper India and their inhabitants  

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History of British Rule, Administration , Policies, Revenue system,  over Garhwal, Kumaon, Uttarakhand ; History of British Rule , Administration , Policies Revenue system  over Pauri Garhwal, Udham Singh Nagar Kumaon, Uttarakhand; History of British Rule, Administration, Policies ,Revenue system  over Chamoli Garhwal, Nainital Kumaon, Uttarakhand; History of British Rule, Administration, Policies ,Revenue system  over Rudraprayag Garhwal, Almora Kumaon, Uttarakhand; History of British Rule, Administration, Policies ,Revenue system  over Dehradun , Champawat Kumaon, Uttarakhand ; History of British Rule, Administration, Policies, ,Revenue system  over Bageshwar  Kumaon, Uttarakhand ;

History of British Rule, Administration, Policies, Revenue system over Haridwar, Pithoragarh Kumaon, Uttarakhand;