Freedom for Deforestation

 British Administration in Garhwal   -163

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History of British Rule/Administration over Kumaun and Garhwal (1815-1947) -183

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            History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon and Haridwar) -1015

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                              By: Bhishma Kukreti (History Student)

    There was no farming on agriculture land for many years in most of the cases in Gurkha rule. Therefore, cultivated land was as good as barren or forest. Due to scanty population the villages nearby land was nothing but dense forest in most of the cases. The authorities as Trail and Batten allowed villagers for acquiring forest land that used to be cultivated before many years. On such land, there were ruined walls of past agricultural land. Non pasturing was also a cause for growing forest.    After farmers under Kamins started re working on barren land, deforestation started the nearby village land too .Pasturing helped in reducing the forest density. Batten allowed farmers for making forest land into farming land and ordered for  Kamin not interfere in such cases. The land made for agriculture was under ownership of government so, there was no right of Kamin on such land. Batten declared that by that act the numbers of wild animals would come down. People started transforming forest land in agriculture land.

     Wild animals were dangerous for killing human beings. Beckett reported that from 1850-1863, in Garhwal, wild animals killed 155 males and 121 females (total 276). Government started rewarding hunters for killing wild animals by depositing animal skin in Tehsil. By killing edible wild animals, people had two benefits – food and reward.

   Beckett reported the following rewards for killing wild animals between 1850-1863-

Size--------Tiger------------Leopards ------------Bear ----------Total --------Award money in Rs.

Big---------77 -------------------1229--------------2071------------3377

Small-------14--------------------171-----------------531-------------716

Total ------91--------------------1400-----------------2602-----------4093-------13784 and four ana

XXX   

References  

1-Shiv Prasad Dabral ‘Charan’, Uttarakhand ka Itihas, Part -7 Garhwal par British -Shasan, part -1, page- 343-77 from Vishnu Singh Gorla Rawat collection

2-Joshi, Khas Family law

3- Paw- Garhwal Settlement page 44

4-Batton t, Garhwal resettlement report – 521-529

5-Becket , Garhwal Settlement Report page 35

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti Mumbai, India,bjkukreti@gmail.com 24/8/201710History of Garhwal – Kumaon-Haridwar (Uttarakhand, India) to be continued… Part -1016

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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)

Forest settlement , History of British Rule, Administration , Policies, Revenue system,  over Garhwal, Kumaon, Uttarakhand ; Forest settlement , 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; Forest settlement ,  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 ; Patwari , Civil Police History of British Rule, Forest settlement,  Administration, Policies, Revenue system over Haridwar, Pithoragarh Kumaon, Uttarakhand;