Alipurduar: ‘Forest village relocations boost tiger habitat in Buxa Reserve’

Alipurduar: The state government relocated Gangutia and Bhutia, two forest villages, as part of a rehabilitation plan for 15 forest villages in the Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR), following orders from the Central Tiger Conservation Agency. Successful relocation of Bhutia Basti and Gangutia Basti prompted appeals for similar efforts in Adma and Bhutri.

After continuous monitoring over the past four years, forest officials claim that every year at the beginning of winter, the Royal Bengal Tiger leaves the high altitudes of Buxa Hills and descends to the plains in search of prey. During this time, the movement of one or more tigers has been observed.

It has been noted that a tiger crossed the Jayanti River through Bhutia Basti and moved towards Gangutia Basti. The Forest department has identified a ‘tiger territory’ through monitoring, identifying prey abundance and mapping an ideal habitat along a specific route from Bhutia Basti to Gangutia.

With the clearance of Bhutia Basti and Gangutia Basti within just four months, the Forest department claims that the vast territory can now confidently be called a ‘Tiger Zone.’ However, foresters acknowledge that there is still much work to be done despite the removal of the two forest settlements.

Apurba Sen, Field Director of BTR, stated: “We have planned to create an ideal habitat for tigers in Bhutia Basti and Gangutia. As they come down from Buxa Hills to the plains, their movement is unimpeded without the barrier. However, we will remove the cement and brick foundations or walls in Gangutia and Bhutia Basti using a payloader and construct embankments to prevent damage to grasslands during the monsoon floods of Raimatang and Jayanti rivers.”

According to Forest department sources, residents of Bhutri and Adama, two forest villages in Buxa, have already applied for the attractive rehabilitation package. However, there are complications regarding the rehabilitation of Jayanti, 28 Mile and 29 Mile villages. The Forest department is hopeful that these complications will soon be resolved through discussions on tiger conservation, facilitating the growth of tiger families in the Buxa Forest.