Bhubaneswar: With tigress Yamuna exploring her new habitat in Similipal Tiger Reserve and Zeenat likely to be released into the wild soon, forest department’s wildlife wing has started the process to relocate people from 30 villages.
Officials have intensified efforts for community engagement through gram sabha meetings, aiming to secure consent from the villagers to relocate them. According to wildlife conservation rules, villagers cannot stay within the sanctuary area, which is considered a protected zone. However, they cannot be forced by the forest department to leave. According to National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) norms, villagers must be convinced in gram sabha meetings that they will benefit from the relocation and the new place is suitable for habitation.
“For conservation purposes, there is a provision for voluntary relocation. Our dialogue is ongoing with the village leaders. More than 70% of villagers have to give their consent to move out of the sanctuary. Unless that happens, there is no law to drive them out forcibly. There are due procedures to relocate them,” Similipal field director, Prakash Gogineni, said.
The 30 villages are mostly located in central and north Similipal. Once relocated, villagers cannot reclaim their land. In some cases, villagers have cultivable land within the core area, which they will have to sacrifice once they give their consent to leave the sanctuary.
In order to stop tribal communities from hunting, Similipal authorities have planned to introduce alternative livelihood options by providing them training in driving and sewing. They have also planned to support the tribal community in mushroom cultivation and goat farming.
For some tribes living around Similipal, hunting is routine work as they need to eat and sell the surplus if they cannot consume it. Whatever animals the tribals encounter, they kill, officials said.
“Alternative livelihood will help reform most of the villagers but not all. Because if there is a need for wildlife items, some will be there to provide it, and they will try to break the law. But our objective is to transform all,” said Gogineni.
Forest officials said that on average, 70 poachers are arrested 4and around 18 cases are registered every year. However, some of them are habitual offenders. Between 2022 and 2024, more than 300 poachers were arrested, mostly from Similipal, as a special drive continues following the murder of two forest personnel in May and June 2023.