The third and final phase of the relocation of people residing in the core area of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) has hit a snag, with a section of the residents refusing to move out from the reserve.
The relocation process, involving a total of 701 families who had been living in the tiger reserve being resettled outside, has been under-way for the last few years, with 235 families being moved out in the first phase, and 255 families in the second phase.
With the second phase of the process almost nearing completion, forest department officials have initiated the third phase of the relocation, whereby the remaining 211 families will also be eventually moved out from the forest, with the eventual goal being that 289 hectares of prime forest, now in various states of non-forest use, be reclaimed by the forest department and be made into an inviolate part of the core area of the reserve.
However, a section of the families still residing within the reserve have allegedly now had second-thoughts about relocating. According to locals, their refusal to leave the reserve is based on revelations that a few tribal residents were cheated out of their money by middle-men in connivance with a forest guard during the second phase of the resettlement process. Based on complaints, a case was registered in this regard by the Nilgiris district police and investigations are currently under-way.
“We have informed the forest department that unless there is a thorough investigation into the scandal, and we are made to feel more secure that when we are moved out, the relocation will be done with our best interests at heart, only then will we consent to moving out,” said one of the members who has refused to move out from the reserve, who added that the forest guard who had been named as being involved in the scandal is still working for the forest department in Mudumalai.
Forest department officials contend that the families refusing to move out are in fact demanding more compensation. They said that only 20 families have raised objections to moving out. “The rest of the families, of the total of 211 who will be relocated, are still on the same page as the forest department, and we have decided to work on effectively moving them out of MTR first,” said K. K. Kaushal, Field Director of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.
Mr. Kaushal said that once the majority of the families are relocated, the forest department will focus on convincing the remaining 20 or so families to also move out.
