Long labelled as destroyers of environment, the men in olive green are literally going green by embarking on massive conservation projects to save the environment.

From restoring the natural habitat of the one-horned rhino in the flood-ravaged Kaziranga National Park in Assam, to carrying out afforestation in the wastelands of Ahmednagar in Maharashtra or working on a census of the Indian antelope in Kashmir, the Army is now wholeheartedly involved in the greening exercise, say officials.

"We are as it is aiming to replant around 63 per cent of deserts, 70 per cent in mountains and 80 per cent in plains and are already involved in an afforestation project at the Dhauladhars in Madhya Pradesh and also at Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh, says A K Singh, director, Army Ecological and Environmental Cell.

"With just 20 officers and 1300 men, this eco task force has already greened around 15,368 hectares of grass," says Singh.

Being a disciplined force and having all technicalfacilities at its command, the Army is in a strong position to help conservationists in projects striving to protect the flora and fauna of the country, says Sharad Gaur, director, Indira Gandhi Conservation Monitoring Center, World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

With most of our sanctuaries and national parks being plagued by poaching and plundering, no civilian agency has the capability of monitoring and putting to an end such activities. It is here that the role of the Army assumes significance.

Himachal goes herbal

The Himachal Pradesh government has taken steps to increase the production of medicinal herbs in the state from Rs 100 crore in 1991 to Rs 4,000 crore by the turn of the century.

According to an official spokesman, a comprehensive Rs 8.27 crore plan is being formulated, in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, to establish ``vanaspati van'' in the state.

Agro-climatic conditions in Himachal Pradesh, which vary from sub-tropical to extreme cold, are conduciveto the natural growth of a large number of plant species. Out of 3,000 angio-spermic plant species in the state, about 500 have been found to possess medicinal properties, the spokesman said.

To fully exploit the potential of medicinal plants, the state has been divided into four zones--subtropical low hills Shivalik range, mid hills sub-temperate zone, high hills temperate wet zone and high hills temperate dry alpine zone. The government has decided to establish one herbal garden in each of the four zones, he said.

Already, a sum of Rs 14.92 lakh has been sanctioned, under the central government assistance programme, for a project on development of agro-techniques for growth of selected medicinal plants, he said.

For identification, cultivation, collection and marketing of medicinal plants, training is being imparted to the native population, which involves education to them through audio-visual aids, field trips and practical demonstration in the field.

Celebrity speak

Noted author andBooker prize winner Arundhati Roy has warned of a disobedience movement if the authorities went ahead with the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat.

Speaking on "human and ecological costs of big dams" here recently, she said a massive agitation against the construction of the dam would commence from Indore on July 30. The agitators would reach the dam site from Indore on August 4, gathering support for the campaign. A satyagraha is already on in Domkhedi in Maharashtra and Jalsindhi in Madhya Pradesh since June 20.

Urging the people to extend support to the agitation, the author of The God of Small Things said the project was "unsound" and "mismanaged". The authorities were inflating its benefits and underplaying the agonies of the displaced people. It would only benefit the city people at the cost of millions of villagers. The project would result in displacement of nearly half a million people.

Arundhati Roy, who is now engaged in a nation-wide campaign for the affected people in theNarmada valley, said the big dams started well, but ended badly. Movements against such dams were gathering momentum all over the world as they were obsolete and flooded large areas of land.