ADILABAD: Adilabad-based environmental activist Gedam Kiran has been creating bamboo-made articles and promoting their use as an alternative to plastic. He has received several awards from the district administration and the government for his efforts.
His articles, which include water bottles, chairs, baskets, flowers, sofa sets, bamboo houses, boat houses, and an Ambedkar statue made entirely of bamboo, have gained widespread attention. Kiran has also provided training to around 1,200 tribal and non-tribal youths interested in bamboo-based products in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. He has also traveled to Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Assam to fulfil orders for bamboo articles and houses.
Bamboo has been a major source of livelihood for the Kolam tribes, who collect it from the forest and create various products for sale in surrounding villages and towns. Under the Golconda Handicraft Development initiative, a three-month training programme was organised for these tribes last year, enabling them to learn how to make and sell their products locally.
However, more efforts are needed to encourage and support the tribal communities in their bamboo-based livelihoods. The Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) Utnoor should appoint a trainer and provide marketing facilities to promote their products, thereby improving the livelihood of the communities and the trainer.
Unfortunately, the ITDA Utnoor’s efforts have not moved forward due to the transfer of its project officer, K Varun Reddy, to the post of Nirmal district Collector.