Min’s tiger relocation talk kindles BTR hope

Jalpaiguri: Nine years after the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Global Tiger Forum (GTF) proposed relocating tigers to Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR), the talks of the plan have been revived by Centre.Speaking at an event in New Delhi on Saturday, Union minister of environment Bhupender Yadav announced a tiger-reintroduction plan. "Buxa hasn't had a tiger population for a long time. We will, very shortly, take up the matter with Bengal govt and start work to reintroduce tigers in the forest," he said.Officials say the project has been stalled for years despite forest department efforts, citing political unwillingness and non-compliance with court orders.BTR spans about 760 sq km and has 37 forest villages. Fifteen villages and two fixed demand holdings lie in core areas and must be relocated before tigers can be reintroduced. So far, only two villages have been moved: Gangutia (191 families) and Bhutia Busty (51 families).Four villages are listed for priority relocations: Jainti (population: 650), 28th-29th Mile Village (population: 350), Santlabari (population: 350-400) and Raimatang (population: 300)."In Jainti, 98% people have already given their nod and 75% of the fund has already been released. Still, the final approval from the state for execution of the relocation did not come... Because of only 12 families, who objected, the entire project have been stalled. And these 12 families are those who run illegal home stays," a forester said.The NGT ordered the homestays stopped on June 30, 2022. On Aug 12, 2024, the Calcutta High Court called tourism operations in Jainti's core area illegal and ordered closures, but officials say it was not implemented. "After the Union minister's Saturday statement, we are hopeful that the court orders will now be implemented," an official said.