Not 1L, just 150 people reside in tiger reserve zone, SC panel told

Panaji: The on Thursday submitted before the Central Empowered Committee () of the Supreme Court that there are only 150 people staying in the of the tiger reserve, contrary to the govt's claim of 1 lakh people. It stated that there are only 5,000 people staying in the entire tiger reserve.

Goa Foundation stated that the people residing in the buffer zone of the reserve will benefit from commercial activities and need not be relocated.

The committee members will be in Goa till Friday. On Thursday, the CEC met legislators, stakeholders, govt officials besides local representatives connected to the project.

Claude Alvares of the Goa Foundation said that declaring a tiger reserve will benefit the state. “The govt has said that they will have to relocate 1 lakh people. Today, it said there are 1,264 households in all protected areas of the state. Considering there are five members in one household, then it would be around 5,000 people. Today, the govt has revealed where these 5,000 people are contradicting its claim of about 1 lakh people,” Alvares said.

He also mentioned that villages have been shown inside the sanctuary, while settlements in the village have been shown outside the sanctuary.

“Kale village, which has a population of 2,500 people is now shown in the Mollem Wildlife Sanctuary. We questioned as to why it has been shown in the sanctuary when the demarcated land for the tiger reserve has kept villages out of its ambit. When villages are kept out, who will object?” Alvares said.

He explained that the tiger reserve is divided into two zones: The core and the buffer.

“Nothing can be done in the core zone, but activities are allowed in the buffer zone. We have shown to the CEC that there are only 150 people in the entire core zone, whereas the govt’s claim was of 1 lakh,” Alvares said.

Goa Foundation stated that maps have been given to the Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly, Ganesh Gaonkar and the social welfare minister, Subhash Phal Desai, and they were informed that there are no people staying in the core zone. We questioned them as to why they were opposing to it.

“If people live in sanctuaries, they have to go and if they stay in the buffer zone of the tiger reserve, then they can stay. They are not telling this to the people,” Alvares said.

“People staying in the buffer zone would be the first to allow commercial activities in the tiger reserve. It is a very good business for locals living next to the tiger reserve.”

A delegation of children under the banner of Kids for Tigers met the CEC and urged them to conserve the tigers of Goa and its forests and rivers for the future. An 8-year-old student, Jiya, submitted a picture drawn by her as a memorandum to the CEC to protect tigers in Goa.