Displaced tribals protest delay in rehabilitation at Kawal Tiger Reserve

Displaced tribal families from Kawal Tiger Reserve held a protest demanding implementation of pending rehabilitation packages. Officials, moved by the protest, assured action, admitting delays due to poor coordination. The tribals highlighted the lack of infrastructure and undeveloped land allotments

Nirmal: A week-long peaceful protest by displaced tribal families over the delay in implementing a rehabilitation package has prompted officials to initiate steps to resolve their long-pending issues.

The families had vacated their villages, Maisampet and Rampur, in 2022 to facilitate the creation of the Kawal Tiger Reserve. However, due to a prolonged delay in receiving rehabilitation benefits, the tribals reoccupied their former settlements on June 9 and began rebuilding huts as a mark of protest. They temporarily withdrew their protest after officials conducted marathon consultations with them last Monday and assured redressal of grievances.

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During the agitation, the displaced tribals highlighted the lack of basic infrastructure in the resettlement colony near Kottamaddipadaga village in Kaddampeddur mandal. They said the agricultural land allotted to them under the rehabilitation package remained undeveloped. The colony also lacked essential amenities such as a school, bore-wells, and electricity.

Khanapur in-charge Forest Divisional Officer (FDO) Bhavani Shankar said proceedings had been issued to allocate cultivable land and implement other benefits for eligible beneficiaries. He added that land titles would be issued soon and that the lands already allotted would be developed. He assured that the legitimate demands of the displaced families would be addressed.

Forest officials, meanwhile, admitted that delays occurred due to poor inter-departmental coordination but claimed that steps were being taken to resolve the issues in a phased manner.

Officials said the protest had been brought to the attention of higher authorities. A total of 142 families from Maisampet and Rampur, located in the core area of the Kawal Tiger Reserve, were relocated in phases to a new colony. Of these, 48 families opted for financial compensation, while the remaining 94 chose land under the rehabilitation scheme.