ITANAGAR, 9 Apr: Following the report of Tuesday’s surprise seizure of local vegetables and herbs from Gandhi Market here, the principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) on Wednesday issued a statement, saying that the Forest Department did not authorise anyone to carry out seizure of vegetables and herbs from vegetable vendors in Itanagar.
“The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 does not authorise any person or government authority to wrongfully seize any produce on which the people of Arunachal Pradesh have traditionally depended, including herbs and other organic leafy vegetables, as part of their food habits, under the pretext of forest/wildlife products, thereby causing inconvenience to the general public at large,” the statement read.
The PCCF noted: “It has been brought to the notice of the department through social media viral videos and photographs that the magistrate appointed by the ICR district administration, along with police personnel and two frontline staffers (one forest guard and one contingency forest watcher) working under the deputy chief wildlife warden, Itanagar sanctuary division, Naharlagun, were involved in wrongful seizure of herbs and other organic leafy vegetables from Itanagar market on the pretext of forest/wildlife produce at the behest of a person named Nabam Regum, chairperson, Papum Pare District Biodiversity Management Committee and self-proclaimed chairperson of the All Arunachal BMC Members Association. It is believed that such acts have caused serious inconveniences.”
The statement continued: “The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, doesn’t authorise any person or government authority to engage in wrongful seizure of any produce in which the people of Arunachal are traditionally been dependent, including herbs and other organic leafy vegetables.”
The statement read that the Environment, Forest & Climate Change Department has neither been directly involved in such seizure nor authorised any individual to carry out such seizure.
“Explanation has been sought from the deputy wildlife warden, Itanagar sanctuary division, Naharlagun, regarding the involvement of two frontline staffers in the abovementioned incident and necessary action will be taken as per the rule provisions,” the statement read.
A written clarification has also been sought from the Arunachal Pradesh State Biodiversity Board’s member secretary over the alleged involvement of Nabam Regum in the incident, it said.
The statement further said that Regum reportedly seized fishes on the pretext of the fishes being caught from rivers in the wildlife sanctuary, and added that the department did not authorise it.
Yapung Rigia, who comes from Naharlagun to sell vegetables in Gandhi Market, said, “The shelf-life of local vegetables is one day in summer and two days in winter. We have to venture out at night to pick the vegetables from the wholesale dealers coming from the districts. It’s a long process unloading the vegetables and everything, and it takes about seven hours in the entire waiting process and this is our everyday business.”
“I can’t go during the night, so I just buy a small amount from my vendor friends,” said Radhe Moryang (60), from A Sector, Itanagar, who sells vegetables in Gandhi Market.
Kapu Ano (24), who also sells vegetables in Gandhi Market, comes from Lor Putu. She said that “even after spending nights to get the vegetables from the wholesalers, we manage to get a profit of Rs 5 to 10 only. Most of us do not have our own vehicles, so many of us hire vehicles, and the profits go in fuel cost.”
All the women vegetable vendors collect the vegetables from wholesalers from either Ganga market in Itanagar, or the daily market in Naharlagun, or other concentrated market areas.
All Arunachal Pradesh Vegetable Fruit Fish Meat Wholesaler Welfare Association general secretary Phassang Anand informed that the association did not receive any order or notice from the district administration and the biodiversity management committee concerning the drive. “They could have at least intimated the Arunachal Pradesh Marketing Board,” he said, adding that the board and the association collaborate and work together.
He said also that many unemployed youths are earning money by selling vegetables and such a move by the department concerned “is very discouraging for unemployed youths like us, who are funding their startups through this.”
Similar drives were reportedly carried out also in the Naharlagun daily market and the 6 Kilo area.
