Alipurduar district gears up for resettlement of 2 forest villages
On December 10, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while attending a government distribution programme at the Parade Ground in Alipurduar, ordered the immediate rehabilitation of two forest villages in the Buxa Tiger Reserve.
Following this directive, the Alipurduar district administration and the Forest department initiated the process from December 12. Over the last two days, the process of verifying the information of all residents of Bhutia Basti in Kumargram Block, the smallest in Alipurduar district, and Gangutia Basti in Kalchini Block has been completed.
R Vimala, the District Magistrate of Alipurduar, stated: “On Monday, the official documents and bank account information of 191 families of Gangutia Basti were collected by the Forest department and district administration. On Tuesday, the same work was done for 51 families of Bhutia Basti. All information is currently under scrutiny. Each family in these two villages will receive Rs 15 lakh and their children above 18 years of age will also receive the same amount. The first installment will be Rs 7.50 lakh which will be deposited in their accounts within this week and subsequently, the second installment of Rs 7.50 lakh will be provided after the resettlement.”
Approximately 15 forest habitats are to be relocated from the core area of the Buxa Tiger Reserve as part of the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s definitive plan. For the last 10 years, specific methods have been employed to increase the tiger population in Buxa.
However, the process of resettling people from the core area had been stalled for a long time. This government package is considered attractive by various circles, as each family will receive Rs 15 lakh, along with a certain amount of lease land outside the forest, based on their application. Meanwhile, a section of residents of Jayanti village, adjacent to Bhutia Basti, expressed their readiness to undergo government resettlement. Residents of Jayanti and other nearby areas are closely observing the progress
of the two settlements.
