Karnataka hangs on to its sandalwood
during Tipu Sultan's reign over Mysore in the 18th century, the sandalwood tree was accorded royal status and brought under state control. Today the Karnataka government ostensibly allows private production of sandalwood, but actually maintains a tight rein on the trade. In fact, eight months after the notification of amendments in the Karnataka Forest (Amendment) Act 2001, stakeholders are yet to see any tangible evidence of the deregulation that these changes were meant to usher in.
On its part, the state government has launched an aggressive