Govt suspends safari in Buxa’s Jayanti, cites damaged road
Times of India | 22 May 2024
Jalpaiguri: The Buxa Tiger Reserve authorities have indefinitely suspended car safari at Jayanti Mahakal citing bad weather condition, damaged road to Mahakal and irregular fluctuations in water level of Jayanti River.
In an order, deputy field director, BTR, East has stated that until further order, the car safari will remain suspended.
The order has raised questions if the BTR authorities were trying to close down the tourist safari route permanently, which is very much required before the evacuation of the Jayanti forest village before the proposed reintroduction of tigers in the forest.
The tiger reserve has already relocated 242 families from two forest villages — Bhutia Busty and Gangutia — to their new home in ‘Bono Chhaya Village’ near Bhatpara Tea Garden in Kalchini, where they have been provided land patta on non-forest land.
This was done in accordance with the proposal given by the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Global Tiger Forum. There are 35 more forest villages across BTR. Of them, 12 are in the core area.
Though officials said the move was temporary, some believe this is the prelude to relocation of Jayanti, a forest village.