These have been pending for long and the State has, in the past, even been pulled up for the delay. The plans under preparation will be valid for the next 10 years and will spell out the management and conservation of protected areas, identify activities that may be allowed in the areas and those that are prohibited and very importantly, propose ways to rehabilitate human settlements in the sanctuaries. With tussles over how forest land can be used, the indentification of what can be permitted and what not, could settle a lot of disputes. Such a list was in fact required long ago.
In the current case, rehabilitation of human settlements assumes major significance as people living within the boundaries of the protected areas fear that they could be displaced. There are over 1200 houses in the sanctuary areas, besides religious buildngs, government buildings and a school. The Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary has the most number of people, around 8,500, residing in the sanctuary as it has close to 25 villages within its boundaries. The Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and the Mollem National Park have a human population of around 4,500 while the Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary has another 1,000-odd people. The requirements of all these people should be given full consideration.
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Finding a solution to the human settlements within the protected areas has been an ongoing issue that past government have not resolved, with at times it leading to conflict. For instance, in May, 2019, the Mhadei Sanctuary’s checkpost at Kumthal-Caranzol had been set on fire by villagers claiming that they are the original inhabitants of the land and have a right over the property inside the sanctuary. While State records showed otherwise, the government had appointed a Forest Settlement Officer to look into the claims of the villagers. The Forest Department does admit that a large portion of the sanctuary areas have been encroached upon by the villagers for various activities, mainly cultivation and grazing of animals.
Environmentalists have expressed worries that there is a growing population within the protected areas which could impact the wildlife in the sanctuaries. At the time of notification of the Mhadei Sanctuary, certain populated villages had been selectively kept out, so as to maintain a free area for the animals by reducing the possibility of man-animal conflict to as low as possible. In certain areas, this is now creating issues as there are claims of human habitation, where at the time of notification there were no habitants as per government records. This is going to be the biggest challenge that the government faces when it has to settle these claims or when it seeks to rehabilitate these persons, especially since there is political support to the claims of the villagers.
When developing the human settlement rehabilitation plan, what will have to be taken into account is the traditional occupations of those living on this land. The points to be addressed are whether they will be allowed to stay on and rehabilitated elsewhere, which leads to the problem of finding suitable land that will allow them to take up their traditional occupations. It won’t be simple to settle this issue, but simultaneously, the government finally taking up preparing the management plans for the protected areas indicates that there is a desire to settle the issue.
It is imperative that all concerns are addressed in the plans, leaving no loopholes to be exploited. The drafting has to therefore follow all the rules and adhere to any good precedents that have been set by other States in such management plans. Forest areas need to be protected and the human settlements within them also require adequate safety measures.
