Delhi govt's Home Dept asks police to protect beekeepers
New Delhi: The Delhi government's Home Department has asked Delhi Police to take appropriate measures over hurdles faced by beekeepers. The following move came after an official from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare wrote to all administrators of Union Territories (UTs) asking them to make sure that the transportation of bee colonies and beehive products is allowed without any hindrance at check posts by the officials of police or forest department, and also to ensure the safety of beekeepers and their colonies from theft.
Sources told Millennium Post that the Home Department has written to DCP (headquarters) in November, regarding the issue and told them to take proper action and also intimate the Ministry on the action taken. The letter which was sent to the administrators of UTs reads, "Beekeeping is an agro-based activity which is undertaken by farmers, beekeepers, landless labourers, in rural areas as a part of Integrated Farming System (IFS). Honey bees are crucial foragers/pollinators and help in increasing incomes of the farmers by way of increasing the yield of various agricultural and horticultural crops."
Further, they provide honey and other high valued beehive products which generate income and employment amongst beekeepers and rural people, and also serve as a source of their livelihood. They also help in sustaining biodiversity and environmental sustainability, reads the letter.
According to Ministry official, for commercial and scientific beekeeping and to make it sustainable and viable despite variation in climate conditions and cropping patterns in the country, it becomes necessary to migrate honey bee colonies from one place to another place or state. "During migration, complaints are often received from beekeepers and farmers that they are facing a lot of problems relating to theft of bee colonies, hardships at check posts by the officials and harassment by the DFOs of Forest Departments during the transportation of bee colonies, honey and other beehive products as well as placing of apiary in fields, crops, forest, areas adjoining to forests.
The State governments have been, from time to time, requested to issue directions to all concerned authorities, departments in the States to address these problems to allow transportation, migration of bee colonies and beehive products without any hindrance and to facilitate them for doing this valuable activity easily in the State. The official further said that all administrators have been asked to issue suitable instructions to the Department of Horticulture, agriculture, forest, police, revenue and other line departments involved in this beekeeping so that transportation, migration of bee colonies and beehive products are allowed without any hindrance at check posts and to ensure the protection of beekeepers.
