CM names rehabilitation village ‘Bano Chaya’

Alipurduar: The Chief Minister has named the new village set up for the relocation of 203 families of two forest villages ‘Bano Chaya.’

The new village has been set up by the Alipurduar district administration on government land near the Bhatpara tea plantation in Kalchini Block.

Around 203 families from two forest settlements inside the Buxa Tiger Reserve will be relocated to Bano Chaya. On Monday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee officially christened the village “Bano Chaya” from the government service distribution program in Phulbari, Jalpaiguri, and handed over land documents (Patta) to the 203 families.

The initiation of the rehabilitation process for the two forest settlements in Buxa was brought to the administration’s attention by the Chief Minister during a government service distribution program in Alipurduar in December last year. The district administration acted swiftly, allocating Rs 36 crore. In the first phase, each family received a specific amount of money and land. Despite being provided with 8 decimal land, some locals questioned when they would receive the land lease. The Chief Minister addressed this during her visit to North Bengal on Monday. District Magistrate R Vimala stated: “The first phase of the rehabilitation process has been successfully completed. All 203 families have been granted land pattas.”

Following the guidelines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), there is a plan to increase the tiger population in Buxa and across the country. As part of this initiative, a total of 15 villages will be rehabilitated from hills and plains in the core area of the Buxa Tiger Reserve.

Residents of the forest villages in Buxa had expressed concerns over the past 15 years, with doubts about compensation in the form of government money and land. Conflicting information added to the confusion. However, uncertainties have now been resolved, and the families from the two forest settlements finally received the land Patta.