Mungantiwar opposes Kanhalgaon sanctuary, says no decision will be imposed on villagers

Chandrapur: People in 47 villages are worried over the proposal for the Kanhalgaon wildlife sanctuary. Former forest minister and MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar has said he will not allow any decision to be imposed against the wishes of local people. According to him, the proposal raises questions about the villagers' very existence, the rights of tribal people over water, forest and land, and the livelihoods of thousands of families.

After villagers and the sarpanch association voiced opposition to the proposal, Mungantiwar held a video conference with senior Forest Department officials and raised the local people's concerns. He said that in the name of wildlife conservation, the rights of tribal people who have lived with the forest for generations, the livelihoods of villagers and their safety must not be ignored. He said he intended to take the issue to the highest levels of government, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. He also assured villagers that he would stand firmly with them and make every possible effort to get the proposal cancelled.

The proposed sanctuary covers about 25,138.146 hectares. It takes in 47 villages: 39 in Gondpipri taluka, 5 in Pombhurna taluka and 3 in Ballarpur taluka. Most of the forest area is currently held by 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 will face many restrictions, forest-based employment will shrink and traditional livelihoods will suffer. Concern about the effect on the traditional lifestyle of tribal people and their natural bond with the forest was also raised at the meeting.

The issue of relocated villages around the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve also came up. People there still struggle with many problems. Villagers therefore do not want the new sanctuary to bring them displacement, restrictions and employment problems again. The question was also raised why another sanctuary is needed when major tiger conservation work is already under way in Chandrapur district through the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve.

Describing another serious aspect of the matter, Mungantiwar raised the issue of 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. Local people fear the sanctuary will increase conflict between wildlife and human settlements. Mungantiwar said conservation policy must keep the interests of local people at its centre.

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

Mungantiwar said that as forest minister he had stopped the Kanhalgaon sanctuary proposal. Now that opposition from villagers and the sarpanch association has surfaced again, he will stand firmly with them. According to him, the decision on a sanctuary cannot be taken only from an administrative or conservation viewpoint. The existence of local people, their livelihoods, safety and the sentiments of the tribal community must carry equal weight. He said the gravity of villagers' problems cannot be understood by sitting in the Mantralaya; one has to go to the villages and talk to them. He assured that the proposal would not move forward without taking villagers into confidence, and said he would pursue its cancellation by taking the matter to the highest level of government.

Sarpanch association president Devidas Satpute put forward the villagers' views. He said all sarpanches and villagers are united on the issue. He expressed hope that Sudhir Mungantiwar would take the initiative and present their case to the government so that local people are not wronged and their rights remain protected.

Those present at the meeting included Forest Development Corporation managing director M. Srinivasa Rao, regional manager Divyabharati M., Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve field director Prabhunath Shukla, sarpanch association president Devidas Satpute, sarpanches of various villages, citizens and Forest Department officials.