The herbivores of the Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) have not developed any taste for eating Dina Nath grass in the National Park Betla. Dina Nath is a kind of grass that sprouts here in the park in abundance. However, there is no taker of it.
A member of the State Wild life Board D S Srivastava said one field director of the PTR way back in the eighties introduced this Dina Nath grass here thinking it to be rich in protein and good for pregnant deer but over all these years no herbivores ever developed any taste or liking for it.
Srivastava said this grass is now a huge liability. Unlike Van Tulsi and Chakwar which the villagers living around the PTR put to their use by way of selling the seeds of Van Tulsi and Chakwar this Dina Nath grass is just a big occupier of the Tiger Reserve and the National Park Betla.
On being asked as to why no herbivore eats it Srivastava said 'Does man eat anythingIJ So is the case with the grass eating wild life.
An IFS probationer Vinay Kant Mishra said there are numerous grasses here which are of invasive nature that come up on their own. This probationer IFS Mishra said he has been working on the compilation of invasive grass and shrubs and the task is quite enormous.
This IFS probationer hopes to be in the PTR till February and by then he plans to list such invasive species of shrubs and grasses.
The Pioneer met two women and one school girl student plucking fruits of Chakwar on Betla Garu Road about 30 Kms away from Daltonganj on Tuesday the day of Chhath. These three hailed from village Betla were of Bhuiyan community. Poverty came in between them and Chhath hence they were just plucking the fruit of Chakwar when other rich and semi-rich were performing Chhath festival.
As Chhath day was a Government holiday the school girl student Kumari was assisting her grand mother and mother in plucking the fruit of Chakwar.
This Bhuiyan woman said “We first pluck this Chakwar fruit. Then it is kept for drying in sunlight. Once the moisture is gone the fruits are beaten with light wood. Chakwar's seeds come out. A trader ( mahajan) from Daltonganj comes in who buys it for rupees 25 a kilogram.Thus we live on seeds sale”. The sun drying of Chakwar is done on the Pucca Road too where the wheels of vehicles pass over them giving heat and pressure both, said one Buiyan woman.
Srivastava said “This is the hardship of the people and the PTR jungles sustain them. A family of four or five thus earns `50 a day after such an arduous chore and that too if rains come the whole process of drying up of seeds goes haywire.
Seeds of van tulsi are sold much cheaper like 8 to 10 rupees a Kg. Poor school children miss their school to lend a helping hand to their mothers to collect Tulsi fruits also in this season.