HYDERABAD: The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has given a green signal to the Telangana forest department to de-notify 112 hectares of forest land for rehabilitation of two villages located inside the core area of the Kawal Tiger Reserve.
The two villages, Maisampet and Rampur had given their consent for being shifted out of the tiger reserve, which is mandatory for relocation as per the National Tiger Conservation Authority guidelines.
The relocation involves 142 tribal families from both the villages, for which Rs 14.2 crore will be required at the rate of `10 lakh per family, as per the NTCA guidelines. Of the 142 families, 48 families have opted for receiving the money in cash while the remaining 94 families opted for receiving it partly in the form of four acres of land and partly as a contribution towards the development of their homes.
The State government has been planning to relocate the two villages for over four years. It remains to be seen how long the forest department will take moving forwards, following the FAC clearance. However, relocation of these two villages is only a start with at least 21 more villages inhabiting the core area of Kawal Tiger reserve, which conservationists say need to be relocated for ensuring a safe habitat for tigers at the reserve.
However, if the forest department succeeds in relocating the two villages in a proper manner, other villages might also feel encouraged to consent for relocation. It may be mentioned here that it was only this year, two tiger poaching incidents came to light from the Kawal tiger reserve.
Some opt for land
The relocation involves 142 tribal families from both villages, for which Rs 14.2 crore will be required at Rs 10 lakh per family. While 48 families have opted for cash, 94 opted for four acres of land.