MP: Relocation of 23 villages pending in Sidhi's biodiversity-rich Sanjay Tiger Reserve; what are the hurdles?
Sidhi: Of the 54 villages identified for relocation in Sidhi's Sanjay Tiger Reserve, only 23 villages remain to be relocated. In 20 villages, all payments, including the relocation package, have been made to the displaced residents. Many of these people have already left their villages and moved elsewhere. Some villagers are preparing to leave. Meanwhile, the process of providing relocation packages and payments is underway in 11 villages.
On the other hand, the lack of relocation in the core area of the Sanjay Tiger Reserve is adversely affecting both wildlife and the people living in the villages within the core area. Wildlife is not getting enough space to roam freely, while families living in the villages marked for relocation are becoming victims of attacks by wild animals.
It is worth noting that 54 villages located in the core zone of the Sanjay Tiger Reserve were identified for relocation. According to departmental claims, 20 villages have been relocated so far. The first relocation took place in the village of Kanjara in 2013-14.
All the relocated villages are not fully free from human presence
Subsequently, several villages have been relocated, but except for about a dozen, all the relocated villages are not fully free from human presence. Even now, some families from several relocated villages have not left. Even after their houses were demolished, people are living in makeshift huts and continuing to cultivate the land.
According to departmental sources, the biggest reason for the slow pace of relocation is the lack of cooperation from the Revenue Department. The relocation process of the villages identified for relocation in the Sanjay Tiger Reserve area is progressing at a snail's pace.
The first village, Kanjara, was relocated in 2013-14. Since then, only 20 more villages have been relocated. Due to the slow pace of the relocation process, resettlement is increasing again in the relocated villages. People are building huts and living in the villages.
The biggest problem regarding displacement was the predetermined package amount. The government had set a package of 15 lakh rupees for each family being displaced. Experts say that regional politics is also a major obstacle in the displacement process in the Sanjay Tiger Reserve area.
Whenever the displacement process picks up, people who have settled illegally begin to employ various tactics. Their entire focus is on the displacement package and compensation.
Park is home to numerous species
The Sanjay Dubri National Park was established in 1975 to conserve the district's bio-diverse forest area. This region of evergreen Sal forests is home to numerous species, especially tigers, including 152 bird species, 32 mammals, 11 reptiles, 3 amphibians, and 34 fish species. The first white tiger, Mohan, was found here. Along with tigers, sloth bears, chital, nilgai, chinkara, sambar, leopards, wild dogs, wild cats, hyenas, porcupines, jackals, foxes, wolves, pythons, four-horned antelopes, and barking deer are also found here.
Rajesh Kanna T, DFO, Sanjay Tiger Reserve, Sidhi, said displacement of 23 villages from the Reserve is still pending. Payment has been completed for 20 villages, and the payment process is underway in 11 villages. Our effort is to encourage as many people as possible from the displaced villages to come forward, accept the payment, and resettle elsewhere, he added.
Prakash Kumar Pandey