47 villages oppose proposed Kanhalgaon sanctuary in Chandrapur; Mungantiwar to take up issue with CM

People of 47 villages and the sarpanch association have registered their opposition to the proposed Kanhalgaon sanctuary in Chandrapur district. In view of the protest, MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar held a meeting with senior Forest Department officials over video conference and raised the questions of local residents.

The proposed area is about 25,138 hectares, or 25138.146 hectares. The 47 villages concerned include 39 in Gondpipri taluka, 5 in Pombhurna taluka and 3 in Ballarpur taluka. Much of the forest area is currently in the possession of the Forest Development Corporation, which provides jobs to thousands of local people.

Villagers fear that once the sanctuary is created, villages in the core and buffer areas may face several kinds of restrictions. They also apprehend that forest-dependent jobs will shrink and traditional livelihoods will be affected. Concern about the impact on the traditional way of life of tribal communities and their relationship with the forest was also raised at the meeting.

It was also pointed out that people in villages resettled around the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve still struggle with many problems. The villagers' stand is therefore that the new sanctuary should not force them to face displacement, restrictions and livelihood questions again. It was also asked why another sanctuary is needed when major tiger conservation work is already under way in Chandrapur district through the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve.

Mungantiwar raised another serious aspect, the human deaths caused by tiger attacks in the district. According to him, along with wildlife conservation, guaranteeing the lives and safety of people living near the forest is equally important. He said conservation policy should keep the interest of local people at the centre. Local residents fear that the sanctuary will increase conflict between wildlife and human settlements.

Mungantiwar, a former forest minister, said clearly that no decision would be allowed to be imposed against the wishes of local people. He said that when he was forest minister, he had stopped the Kanhalgaon sanctuary proposal. Now that the opposition of villagers and the sarpanch association has surfaced again, he said he would stand firmly with them. He said the seriousness of villagers' problems cannot be understood by sitting in the Mantralaya; one has to go to the villages and talk to them. The proposal should not move forward without taking villagers into confidence, and for this he would take the matter to the highest level of government, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. He said he would make every possible effort to get the proposal cancelled.

He made some suggestions for further action. First, a meeting with Chief Minister Fadnavis should be fixed for November 18, 19 or 20. Second, a detailed discussion should be arranged with Forest Minister Ganesh Naik and Forest Department secretaries. Third, information on all administrative action taken on the Kanhalgaon sanctuary should be made available. He also said a joint meeting of senior Forest Department officials, representatives of the sarpanch association and local citizens should be held in Nagpur or Chandrapur so that all sides can be heard.

Devidas Satpute, president of the sarpanch association, presented the villagers' side. He said all sarpanches and villagers are united on the issue. He expects Mungantiwar to take the initiative and put their case before the government, so that local people are not wronged and their rights remain protected.

Present at the meeting were M. Srinivas Rao, managing director of the Forest Development Corporation, regional manager Divyabharati M., and Prabhunath Shukla, field director of the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve. Sarpanches of several villages, citizens and Forest Department officials also attended.