Baripada: In another step towards achieving national park status for Similipal wildlife sanctuary in Mayurbhanj district, the authorities of Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) Friday shifted people of a village from the buffer zone.
There are 57 villages in the buffer zone of the sanctuary. Earlier, the relocation of villagers by the STR was confined to the core area only.
“Earlier, the people residing in core area were entitled to various benefits as per the rehabilitation guidelines. Now, the families living in the butter zone too were made eligible for such benefits. Because of the rehabilitation package, displacing the residents of Kiajhari village under Dudhiani range of Karanjia forest division has been possible on our part,” said deputy field director of STR Ajit Kumar Satpathy.
According to reports, the Central government had declared the 1,750 sq/km of Similipal a sanctuary in 1996 while 303 sq/km of the sanctuary was declared a proposed national park in 1980. In 1986, the area was extended to 845 sq/km, but to get national park status its core and buffer areas need to be vacated.
STR sources said 217 people of 79 families used to reside at Kiajhari. The families were rehabilitated at a temporary camp at Khamdiadhar village in Badagaon panchayat under Karanjia block.
Of the 79 families, 46 belong to Khadia community while 33 are from Kolha community.
The displaced families will be served cooked food for seven days, provided rations for three months besides provision of drinking water.
Moreover, each displaced family will be provided Rs 10 lakh and 10 decimal of land under the rehabilitation package.
According to reports, STR project was undertaken in 1973 with experts and officials from outside the state.
To help them in tiger conservation, the government had then encouraged people of local communities to reside in the core areas –Barakamuda, Jamunagada, Bahaghar, Bakua and Kabataghai.
Now, human habitations have become a hurdle in the way of national park status to Similipal.
Keeping this in view, STR has initiated efforts to vacate human settlements from the buffer and core areas.
In September 2015, the STR had shifted 35 families of Jamunagada to Nabara in Bahubandh panchayat.
In May 2016, 47 families of Kabatghai were relocated out of the buffer zone and rehabilitated at Manda near Jashipur.
In 2013, villagers of Uparabarakamua and Bhaghar had been relocated.
Now, 40 families of Bakua and three families of Jamunagada in the core area need to be shifted to pave the way for national park status to the sanctuary. PNN