In a letter to the state wildlife departments Thursday, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had sought a timeline and action plan on relocation of villages situated inside the critical tiger habitats of tiger reserves. Under the Environment Ministry, NTCA oversees tiger conservation and Project Tiger. Sources said that the letter, written in light of a review of the status of voluntary village relocation from core areas, asked the state wildlife department to follow-up on the issue on a priority basis. The NTCA has stated there are about 600 villages comprising 64,801 families residing in core areas. The core or critical tiger habitats are areas inside tiger reserves that are kept "inviolate" as per provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act’s 2006 amendment for maintaining a viable population of breeding tigers. Fifty-five tiger reserves have been notified in the country and there are villages situated in the core areas of several tiger reserves. The Wildlife Protection Act requires state governments to carry out relocation and for creating inviolate areas for tiger conservation based on “mutually agreed terms and conditions”. “We have asked states to submit a status report on this issue and we will hold review meetings soon”, a senior NTCA official said. The relocation process has to be strictly voluntary and based on informed consent of gram sabhas and families involved. Authorities are also legally mandated to complete the process of recognising and settling of forest rights of Scheduled Tribes and other forest dwellers. Those who voluntarily opt for relocation have to be provided either a financial compensation or resettlement and rehabilitation, as per NTCA’s protocol. The financial compensation involves payment of Rs 15 lakh per family. Those who opt for a resettlement and rehabilitation package are entitled to 2 hectares of land, homestead land and house construction, a one-time financial incentive and basic amenities such as road, water, sanitation, electricity and telecommunication. “The relocation package offered by NTCA does not comply with the legal requirement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, which has special provisions to provide resettlement and rehabilitation to ST communities and forest dwellers. Even the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes had in the past sought consonance of rehabilitation package with Land Acquisition Act. Denial of due rights in tiger reserves has led to conflicts between communities and tiger authorities in many tiger reserves,” said Tushar Dash, an Odisha-based independent researcher.
