Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN Jul 12, 2011, 10.26pm IST
NAGPUR: In January 2010, a visit to coal blocks close to Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) allotted to Adani group for its power plant in Tiroda, had brought Jairam Ramesh to Nagpur. For all one knows, the Adani tangle of forest land diversion and rejection of coal blocks may be one of the reasons for Jairam's ouster from the environment ministry.
On January 26, 2010, during his maiden visit to Nagpur and Chandrapur, Jairam had virtually fallen in love with Chanda's forests and its tigers. He was also fascinated by the tendu patta and beauty of TATR. He also missed seeing a tiger by a whisker while returning from his trip there.
During his tenure as MoEF, Jairam visited the city thrice, perhaps the first minister to do that. On January 26-27, 2010, he visited Chandrapur and Nagpur. On September 13, 2010, he came to look into environment concerns about Bapu Kuti t Sevagram and then on April 27, 2011, he was here to grant community rights for bamboo to Mendha-Lekha villagers in Gadchiroli. All of these were environmental concerns, very dear to the region.
So, Jairam's first impression as a 'green minister' was the final impression that people have of him here - so much so that they are unable to digest his unceremonious exit from the MoEF. "He was transparent and spoke his mind. Jairam paid the price for being proactive. We are also sailing in the same boat," said a senior forest official.
Green activist Bandu Dhotre, who fought against the Adani coal mines, is hurt and wants to know why it happened. "We will stage protests against Jairam's removal," Dhotre said, "He was so simple and easily accessible that it was never felt that we were talking to a high-profile Jairam."
Jairam was very concerned about Maharashtra and was instrumental in clearing the long-pending upgradation of IFS officials in the state. During his visit to the city in September last, he principally agreed to give two new tigers reserves in the form of Bor and Nagzira-Navegaon.
He was also very positive about Nagpur as the tiger capital and declared it the 'gateway to tiger land.' He was also the one who decentralized NTCA by setting up its first regional office in Nagpur. He made it a point to be present at its inauguration. The other two offices to be set up in Guwahati and Bangalore are yet to be inaugurated.
Jairam was frank to admit that it's a big challenge to protect corridors and sacrifice some development to protect forests too. Greens here hope the new incumbent Jayanthi Natarajan follows his lead.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-12/nagpur/29764414_1_jairam-ramesh-ntca-coal-blocks
