Buxa Tiger Reserve: Rs 1.29 cr earned from Rajabhatkhawa entry gate last fiscal

The Forest department generated Rs 1.29 crore revenue from the Rajabhatkhawa entry gate of the Buxa Tiger Reserve in the last fiscal year. The revenue was earned mainly from tourist vehicles entering the deep jungle of the tiger project.

On Wednesday, 40 per cent of that revenue which is approximately Rs 51 lakh was handed over to the 60 Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs). The Forest department will spend the remaining 60 per cent of the funds which is around Rs 78 lakh for the development of the reserve. The JFMCs were formed to facilitate cooperation between the department and local residents for the conservation of the jungle.

Over the past years, a certain percentage of the revenue from jungle tourism has been handed over to JFMCs. “There has been discussions in different areas about the Rajbhatkhawa check post of the Buxa Tiger Reserve. However, the entire income from the check-post is being used for jungle conservation purposes. With this Rs 51 lakh, the JFMCs will be able to work in their own villages and forest settlements. The remaining amount of the income will also be spent on small-scale conservation work in the deep forests by the Forest department,’’ stated Apurba Sen, Field Director of the Buxa Tiger Reserve.

There are 60 JFMCs in villages and settlements around the Buxa Tiger Reserve and a large number of people are directly involved with the committees. On Wednesday, a programme was organised in Rajabhatkhawa to hand over the cheques to the JFMCs involved in the Buxa Tiger Reserve.The event was attended by Surendra Kumar Meena, the District Magistrate of Alipurduar, Shila Das Sarkar, the Sabhadhipati of Alipurduar Zilla Parishad and Mridul Goswami, as well as officials from the Forest department.