The Kawal Tiger Sanctuary in Adilabad,which is yet to be officially established,may run into a controversy with tribals unwilling to move out of the forest reserve area. About 4,000 tribals who live in 43 settlements in the area which was declared the Kawal Tiger Sanctuary on June 26 this year held a meeting at Jannaram mandal on Tuesday to protest the setting up of the sanctuary. The forest reserve is said to be home to at least six tigers,a number of leopards and a large prey base. Andhra Assembly Speaker N Manohar,who was chairman of the Assembly Committee for Wildlife Protection and Environment,had submitted a report to the National Tiger Protection Authority in June,recommending that the area be turned into a tiger reserve. The NTPA then declared 890 sq kms as a tiger zone and established a sanctuary. The Centre has proposed to rehabilitate the tribals and has also offered compensation of Rs 10 lakh per family besides providing cultivable land. However,the tribals have refused to move. There is no question of leaving our ancestral land. We only cultivate land that is rightfully ours and leave the forest alone, says C Prabhakar Gond,leader,Girijan Sangha,Adilabad. The tribals claim there are no tigers in the forest,but forest officials at Aranya Bhavan in Hyderabad say studies and surveys have indicated the presence of tigers. With support from CPM cadre,the protest is spreading from Jannaram to neighbouring three areas covering the forest. The Telangana JAC is also supporting the protest.
