Forests Are for Burning

The forest fires raging in the hills of northern India for more than two months now are not only leaving a trail of destruction but are illuminating, in no uncertain way, the consequences of a narrow concept of environmental protection, one not organically linked to current understanding of development. The fires are just the most visible signs of a piecemeal approach to protecting forests, of delinking people from processes. In their glare, the state's calculations in incorporating environmental 'concerns' in its agenda lie exposed.