Over 300 Jainti families agree to move out for Buxa tiger project
Times of India | 9 August 2026
Jalpaiguri: Over 300 families of Jainti, the largest forest village in Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR), have agreed to move out, marking a major step towards tiger reintroduction in the reserve.
Jainti has 427 families and an adult population of around 650. Of BTR’s 37 forest villages, 14 villages and two fixed-demand holdings fall in core areas slated for relocation to enable tiger recovery. So far, only Gangutia (191 families) and Bhutia Busty (51 families) have been shifted to Bana Chhaya village near Bhatpara Tea Garden in Kalchini, where residents received land pattas on non-forest land.
Four villages — Jainti, 28th-29th Mile, Santlabari and Raimatang — are high-priority for relocation.
“In Jainti, except for six families with a total population of 12, everybody is ready to shift to Bana Chhaya village. So far, over 300 families have signed an agreement with govt. Their banking details have been taken and 50% of the sum will be transferred within a week. They will get the remaining amount in another six months,” a senior BTR official said.
“Many dwellers work as migrant workers in other states. We have summoned them as well to complete the agreement,” he added.
Each compensation unit — a couple counted as one unit and every other adult as a separate unit — will receive Rs 15 lakh and eight decimals of land at Bana Chhaya village.
Relocation was delayed for years due to alleged political unwillingness, despite court orders. National Green Tribunal ordered homestay closures on June 30, 2022. On Aug 12, 2024, Calcutta High Court termed tourism inside BTR’s core area illegal and directed closure, but the order went unimplemented.
“Bringing tigers from outside is not the solution. First, we must ensure that the environment in the forest is perfect for tigers. Undergrowth is a must. Villagers have over one lakh livestock entering BTR every day for grazing, severely affecting undergrowth,” a forest official said.
Buxa recorded a tiger in Dec 2021 after nearly three decades. The department later released around 600 spotted deer to improve the prey base and plans to bring two tigresses from Valmiki Tiger Reserve in the first phase.