Angul: The Forest department’s ambitious plan to introduce 16 Royal Bengal Tigers in Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Angul district to promote tourism has hit a roadblock with villagers voicing their opposition to the project. Notably, four-and-a-half years after suspending the country’s first big cat relocation project in Satkosia Tiger Reserve, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has given the green signal for the purpose. Subsequently, the Satkosia Forest department has made a five-year plan under which 14-16 tigers, mostly from sanctuaries in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, will be translocated to the tiger reserve in a phased manner.
Meanwhile, the Forest department is taking steps to meet the 15 conditions laid down by NTCA that Satkosia needs to meet before resuming the project. The announcement, made without consulting the local population or holding discussions in village assemblies by convening Gram Sabhas, has caused unrest and fear among the residents of villages in and around the sanctuary.
Locals claim the decision was made unilaterally by the authorities without adhering to legal procedures, leading to forced relocations in the region. They allege that the Forest Department has been relocating villages without valid reasons bypassing legal norms. They further accuse the department of coercing landless villagers and those with temporary thatched houses into signing relocation requests through inducements and pressure. In some instances, despite the lack of consent from Gram Sabhas, compensation grants for relocation have reportedly been sanctioned, intensifying opposition. At a community meeting organised by the Satkosia Abhiyan Khyatigrasta Praja Suraksha Samiti at Balanga temple, village heads and participants from Balanga and Jagannathpur panchayats voiced strong objections.
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Presided over by committee president Janardhan Sahu, the gathering criticised the Forest Department’s alleged misuse of government resources and accused officials of fostering division among villagers to facilitate relocation. The villagers expressed concerns that the introduction of 16 tigers to Satkosia, where adequate habitats are reportedly unavailable, is part of a larger plan to misappropriate funds sanctioned for the project. They resolved to oppose both the tiger relocation project and forced displacement of villages. Furthermore, a decision was made to launch a road blockade at Pampsar check gate December 15 to press their demands, as confirmed by President Sahu. Furthermore, the villagers also criticised the Forest department for its failure in proper implementation of government developmental schemes and called for accountability in addressing local grievances. The meeting underscored the need for inclusive decision-making and adherence to legal procedures in wildlife conservation efforts.
Earlier, the state’s effort to translocation of tiger from Madhya Pradesh ‘failed’ due to protests by villagers living on the fringes of Satkosia Tiger Reserve, where one male tiger ‘Mahavir’ and a tigress ‘Sundari’ from Kanha Tiger Reserve and Bandhavgarh respectively were introduced in 2018. While Mahavir was found dead after a few months, Sundari was sent back to its original habitat in 2021 after it allegedly killed two villagers.
