Question

Why did colonial rulers clear out the forests in India?

• A. They needed timber supply to build their ships in Britain.
• B. They needed timber to build railway sleepers and railway lines.
• C. They cleared out forests to make way for tea plantations.
• D. They wanted to conserve the forests and protect the Indian forest dwellers.

Answer 1

Answer: (A), (B), (C)

The correct options are
A They needed timber supply to build their ships in Britain.
B They needed timber to build railway sleepers and railway lines.
C They cleared out forests to make way for tea plantations.

Forests were felled at an alarming rate in India with the arrival of the colonial rulers. The forests in England were disappearing and they needed wood to build their ships. They also wanted wood to build railway sleepers. Forests were cleared to make railway lines. Huge expanses of forests were cleared out to make way for tea, coffee and rubber plantations.