Zudpi jungles' are forest land: SC

THESE LANDS CONSIST OF LOW MURMADI SOIL WHERE TREE GROWTH WAS NOT POSSIBLE AND HENCE THESE WERE DOMINATED BY SHRUBS

- Abraham Thomas and Jayashree Nandi

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday struck a balance between protection of environment and right to livelihood as it declared 86,400 hectares of "Zudpi Jungle" lands in eastern Vidarbha region of Maharashtra as forests but protected the structures existing on it till December 1996.

The top court noted that "Zudpi" was a Marathi word, literally translating to bushes or shrubs, and "Zudpi" lands meant an inferior type of unoccupied lands with bushy growth.

These lands consist of low Murmadi soil (arid soil with gravel and soft stones) where tree growth was not possible and hence these were dominated by shrubs and other dry vegetation. These are, however, extremely ecologically important areas that act as wildlife corridors, according to experts.