Relocation of over 450 families from Bhimgad Sanctuary in Belagavi remains on paper

Belagavi: Over 450 families are waiting for relocation from Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary, a critical tiger and elephant corridor in Belagavi, a year after they applied for voluntary relocation. 

While 27 families from Talewadi hamlet received the first installment cheque for Rs 10 lakh each last May, the applications of other families have not been processed yet.

Senior forest officials say that finding suitable land to relocate these families, while ensuring social and cultural compatibility, is one of the major challenges in the relocation process.

Of the 13 hamlets, residents of at least nine are willing to relocate immediately. However, they are demanding that the state government increase the displacement package from the current Rs 15 lakh per family. They are also seeking a small portion of land for cultivation to sustain their livelihood. However, the government is sticking to the package announced by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, under which each family will receive Rs 15 lakh, along with an additional Rs 15 lakh per person for children aged 18 and above.

Life is not easy inside this forest patch of the Western Ghats. Residents have to travel around 25 km to reach the nearest health centres. Due to the tough terrain, emergency services are unable to reach those in need, and during the monsoon, almost 11 of these villages get cut off from the mainland due to overflowing streams.

Sumitra Dashrath Gowda, a resident of Pastoli hamlet, says, “We submitted the documents for relocation long ago, but things haven’t moved much. Rs 15 lakh for a family is too little. We cannot sustain a dignified life with such a meager amount. We have been demanding that the government provide us agricultural land and a house. Unless our demands are met, we will not move out of the forest.”

However, there are also forest dwellers who are unwilling to relocate. For residents of Gavali, one of the largest hamlets inside the sanctuary, the Mirashis (priests) have opposed relocation. “We cannot defy our gods and move out of the forest,” says Baban Devali. He adds that instead of relocation, the government should repair or build permanent bridges over streams to improve transport.

Prahlad Patel, a resident of Kongla, says that a section of the village does not trust the government’s relocation programme. “We are told that the relocation programme taken up by the forest department is illegal. If it were as per the rules, then why has it taken almost a year for the residents of Talewadi to move out, when the rules say relocation should be completed in six months?”

Janardhan Vittal Varak, a beneficiary of the relocation programme, says that the process was delayed as they could not find suitable agricultural land. His new settlement, Manturga, is just five kilometres from Khanapur. “Manturga has schools up to high school level. As a construction worker, I can get better opportunities and healthcare.”

Last year, a Dharwad-based activist, Raghavendra, had written to the state and Central governments requesting an immediate halt to the relocation, alleging that “rules are not being followed.”

Belagavi DCF Kranti N E said, “For two months, we verified all documents and rules to ensure that the relocation work was carried out as per the
provisions.”