Sehore (Madhya Pradesh): Hundreds of people living in over half dozen hamlets on the outskirts of Sehore are scared of being ousted from their ancestral lands as these villages may be brought within the periphery of a proposed tiger reserve.
The forest department's plan to develop a tiger reserve in the Ratapani sanctuary had been lying under the carpet for a long time. But after Chief Minister Mohan Yadav's nod to carry it out, the officials have swung into action.
According to sources in the department, the hamlets, belonging to Bhopal, Raisen and Sehore districts and adjacent to the sanctuary, will be included in the tiger reserve.
On the one hand, nearly eight villages of Sehore district, where a large number of people reside, will be part of the tiger reserve, so the villagers are scared of losing their ancestral lands.
On the other hand, the forest officers said they would discuss the issue with the legislators, members of Panchayat, Janpad, Sarpanch and residents.
According to reports, there are 20 tigers and more than 350 leopards in Sehore and its nearby areas. Yadav has approved the plan for setting up a tiger reserve in the Ratapani sanctuary.
The villages, included in the proposed tiger reserve, are Rabiyabad, Kathotiya, Sewniya Parihar, Rawakhedi, Sarash, Chikalpani, Lohapathar and a few others. These villages belong to Budhni and Rehti forest circles and Veerpur range.
According to a tribal youth from Ratanpur village Brij Dhurve, the tribal people protect the forest, but a conspiracy is being hatched against them to deprive them of their lands.
The government is planning to hand over the lands of the tribal people to industrialists, he said.
Villagers to be taken into confidence
DFO of Sehore division MS Dabar said that before taking any decision, the officials would take opinions of the public representatives and the residents of the villages likely to be included in the proposed tiger reserve.
