Kumals are among the 240 families who were moved out of their homes at Bhutiya Basti and Gangotia Basti as part of the first-ever relocation of villages in West Bengal for the conservation of tigers.
While the families prepare for tomorrow’s bus ride, arranged by the authorities, they think of the challenges of settling at a new place and starting their life from scratch.
Pointing to their new home, which stands on stilts, Susmita says, “You see all the houses here are elevated and stand on stilts. This is because elephants frequent this area. The elephants come at night. Then there is also the problem of wild bisons. After we informed them, the authorities started patrolling the area after dark. We have a lot to do here to start a new life. What will be difficult is to find a job,” said Susmita, who lives with her two sons and husband.
“I and my husband work as daily wage labourers. At our Bhutia Basti home, we sold forest products when there was no work. Here there is no such thing. Here there are no opportunities for jobs either. That’s the challenge we are facing,” says Susmita, who has two young sons.
The families have received Rs 15 lakh and 8 decimal land at Ban Chhaya from the government as compensation for relocations.
“We have no complaint about the compensation, but the problem here is that we have no job opportunity. In Bhutia Basti, we used to get a lot of work. Our family used to go to the forest and pluck fruits, woods, and other things which we sold or used for our consumption. Here, we have no such option. The administration said that they will give 100-day work to use. But from when and how much we will be able to earn, we don’t know,” says 36-year-old Ajit Majhi.
According to the authorities, the decision to translocate Bhutia Basti and Gangotia Basti was taken in February 2023 as the two villages fell on the tiger corridor, used by tigers to move from Bhutan to Buxa.
“It is the first ever relocation of people for conservation in West Bengal. Bhutia Basti, in fact, fell in the middle of the Tiger corridor from Bhutan to Buxa. It is a huge leap forward for us in terms of conservation. The villages in the core area of the reserve created anthropogenic disturbances, which human disturbance in an ecological area,” says Apurba Sen, Field Director of Buxa Tiger Reserve.
“It will take some months for the people to settle down. They have been relocated from the core area to an area which is near the forest and the town itself. We are also in regular touch with the villagers,” says Sen.
“Regarding job opportunities, the villagers were a part of the Joint Forest Management Committee. However, the Committee was dissolved as they were relocated. After the elections, we will form a new JFMC. We give 40 per cent of revenue generated from ticket sales (Buxa Tiger Reserve) to JFMCs. Members of JMFCs are also hired for various types of work in the forest. So, they will not lose job opportunity. Moreover, they will find jobs in Kalchini town which is near the new habitat,” Sen said, adding that since they are now out of the core area, they are allowed to rear cattle which is of advantage to them,” Sen adds.
Bimla Majhi, who had to leave her Bhutiya Busti home to settle in the new village, says: “We are waiting for proper roads and a school to come up here. My sister-in-law is a class eight student and since we came here in March, she has stopped going to school,” Bimla says.
The Buxa Tiger Reserve and National Park covers 760 square km area and is located in North Bengal’s Alipurduar district. Its northern boundary runs along the border with Bhutan. According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the Reserve has corridor connectivity across the border with the forests of Bhutan in the North; linkages with the Kochugaon forests and Manas Tiger Reserve in the East; and with the Jaldapara National Park.
Buxa Tiger Reserve was in the news last December after the sighting of a tiger via camera tap. After that a proposal was sent to the National Tiger Conservation Authority through the state government. The final go-ahead to translocate the two villages in the core area of the reserve came in February 2023.
According to the authorities, the remnants of Bhutiya Busti have been cleared, including the concrete structures, to give free passage to the tigers.
Alipurduar, a Scheduled Tribe reserved constituency, will vote for the ensuing Lok Sabha election on Friday along with Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri, both Scheduled Caste reserved constituencies.