Now Reading: Odisha panel to probe Satkosia tiger reserve village relocations
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Odisha panel to probe Satkosia tiger reserve village relocations
The Odisha government has formed a high-level inquiry committee to examine the relocation of villages from the Satkosia Tiger Reserve (STR), following allegations of forced evictions. The committee, headed by the Revenue…
The Odisha government has formed a high-level inquiry committee to examine the relocation of villages from the Satkosia Tiger Reserve (STR), following allegations of forced evictions. The committee, headed by the Revenue and Disaster Management Secretary, will review the entire relocation process except for the village of Raiguda, which followed proper procedures.
The panel will verify compliance with the Wildlife Protection Act, the Forest Rights Act, and National Tiger Conservation Authority guidelines. It will also scrutinise beneficiary identification, compensation, and rehabilitation, and recommend corrective measures including differential compensation and restoration of rights. The committee has been asked to identify officers responsible for any procedural violations and recommend action.
The probe follows a direction from the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC), which had earlier found that Gram Sabha meetings were either not held or conducted without proper notice. The STR has seen a sharp decline in tiger numbers, from 12 in 2007 to zero in 2022, amid controversies over human-wildlife conflict and relocation.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The OHRC intervention highlights a deeper tension in India's tiger conservation model: the inviolate space requirement for tigers often collides with the Forest Rights Act's recognition of traditional forest dwellers. The Satkosia case is not isolated. Similar disputes have arisen in reserves like Panna and Sariska, where relocation packages failed to address livelihood loss. The committee's mandate to identify responsible officers signals a shift toward accountability, but the real test is whether differential compensation can rebuild trust. With the STR recording zero tigers since 2022, the state faces a dual challenge: restoring both the big cat population and the rights of displaced villagers. Watch for the committee's report, expected within three months.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
