New Delhi, Nov 5 (PTI) The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes will set up a committee to verify whether states are adhering to all required guidelines while relocating tribal communities from India’s tiger reserve areas, NCST officials said on Tuesday.
An official told PTI that the commission had taken cognizance of the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s (NTCA) June 19 directive, which instructed forest officials to expedite the relocation of 64,801 families from 591 villages in the core areas of 54 tiger reserves.
“We are fully aware of the issue. We have instructed the chief secretaries of all states to ensure that all guidelines are followed meticulously when carrying out any such relocations,” the official said.
“The commission will also form a committee that will visit all tiger reserves, review complaints, if any, and verify whether states are adhering to the law. Further action will be based on the committee’s findings,” he added.
In September, thousands of tribal communities residing in the core zones of India’s tiger reserves, including Rajaji (Uttarakhand), Nagarhole (Karnataka), Udanti-Sitanadi (Chhattisgarh), Achanakmar (Chhattisgarh) and Kaziranga (Assam), protested against the NTCA directive to accelerate their relocation from these areas.
These communities, asserting their rights under the Forest Rights Act, are planning to gather in Delhi to “demand justice” for their livelihoods and traditions, which are deeply connected to the forests.
“The progress of village relocation is very slow, and it poses grave concern in light of tiger conservation. It will be highly appreciated if the issue of village relocation may be taken up on priority basis and timeline may be framed for smooth relocation of the villages from the core/critical tiger habitat areas,” the NTCA letter read.
NTCA Member Secretary Gobindsagar Bhardwaj had told PTI that the directions were issued in accordance with the law.
“The letter is part of a routine exercise, and the relocation of villages from tiger reserves is entirely voluntary. There is no confusion. It appears that some people have misinterpreted the letter,” he had said.
A tiger reserve consists of two zones — the core (critical tiger habitat) and the buffer (peripheral area). According to the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, core areas must remain “inviolate for the purpose of tiger conservation”. The buffer areas, in contrast, permit sustainable human activities alongside wildlife conservation.
Tribal and indigenous communities residing in the core areas say they have lived in harmony with nature and forests for generations and their livelihoods, culture, and traditions are deeply connected to the forest ecosystem.
Under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006, these communities are granted individual and community rights to access, manage and use forest resources, as well as live in these forests.
However, they argue that the “contentious” and “delayed” implementation of FRA has left them vulnerable to forced eviction. PTI GVS IJT
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