Chipko Movement

THE CHIPKO MOVEMENT:-
Chipko Movement started in 1973 at Chamoli district and later at Tehri-Garhwal district of
Uttarakhand. Leaders of Chipko Movement are Sundarlal Bahuguna, Gaura Devi, Sudesha
Devi, Bachni Devi, Chandi Prasad Bhatt, Govind Singh Rawat, Dhoom Singh Negi, Shamsher
Singh Bisht and Ghanasyam Raturi. The main objective of the movement was to protect the
trees on the Himalayan slopes from the axes of contractors of the forest.
The most effectual and popular environmental movement in India was the Chipko which
became known for environmental movements in world. The name of the movement, that is
‘Chipko’ means ‘embrace’. It is locally known As “Angwal”. It is believed that the villagers
hugged or embraced or stuck to the trees in the forest to avert them from being felled by the
contractors. The strategy of ‘embracing’ thought of by Chandi Prasad Bhatt in a meeting in the
Mandal on April 1, 1973. The Chipko movement concentrated world attention on the
environmental problems of the Alaknanda catchment area in the mid-Western Himalayas
(Santra, S. C. 2009). It was started by noted environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna in 1970’s
to safeguard the rich forest of western Himalaya Range. This movement was basically a
people movement to resist the cutting of trees. There were frequent floods in the Alkananda
River catchment area due to cutting trees for developmental work like the construction of
roads, river dam project etc.
The Chipko protests in Uttar Pradesh achieved a major victory in 1980 with a 15- Year
ban on green felling in the Himalayan forests of that state by the order of Mrs. Indira Gandhi,
the then Prime Minister of India. Since then, the movement has spread to many states in the
country. In addition to the 15-year ban in Uttar Pradesh, the movement has stopped felling in
the Western Ghats and the Vindhyas and has generated pressure for a natural resource policy
that is more sensitive to people’s needs and ecological requirements.
Some other persons have also been involved in this movement and have given it proper
direction. Mr. Sunderlal Bahuguna, a Gandhian activist and philosopher, whose appeal to Mrs.
Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, resulted in the green-felling ban. Mr. Bahuguna
coined the Chipko slogan: ‘ecology is permanent economy’. Mr. Chandi Prasad Bhatt, is
another leader of the Chipko movement. He encouraged the development of local industries
based on the conservation and sustainable use of forest wealth for local benefit. Mr.
Ghanasyam Raturi, the Chipko poet, whose songs echo throughout the Himalayas of Uttar
Pradesh. The main demand of the people in these protests was that the benefits of the forests,
especially the right to fodder, should go to Local people” (Reddy, Ratna V. 1998). In this context
Santra, (2000) recorded that in 1960, to maintain border security; a vast network of roads was
constructed in this area besides taking up projects of various other types. All this was
catastrophic for the forests and also total environment of the area. Chopping of trees and
rolling them down hills loosened the upper soil which eroded further during rain. This had
disastrous impact and resulting the devastating flood in the Alaknanda in July 1970, which
caused destruction In the upper catchment area.
Reddy (1998) further stated that, “in early 1973, the forest department allotted ash trees
to a private company. This incident provoked the Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangha (DGSS) a
local cooperative organization to fight against this injustice through lying down in front of timber
trucks and burning resin and timber depots as was done in the Quit India Movement. When
these methods were found unsatisfactory, Chandi Prasad Bhat, one of the leaders, suggested
embracing the trees to prevent them from being cut. With its success, the movement has
spread to other neighboring areas, and then onwards the movement is popularly known
internationally as Chipko Movement (Reddy, Ratna V. 1998: 688).”

Chipko Movement

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THE CHIPKO MOVEMENT:-

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