Bhubaneswar: The Centre has asked the Odisha government to urgently look into allegations of gross violations of constitutional and legal rights of tribal villagers in Odidha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve, where forest-dwellers from Bakua village in Mayurbhanj district claim they are being forcibly evicted without their consent.
In a letter dated September 4, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) forwarded a complaint from Bakua Gram Sabha to the state government, pointing to possible violations of multiple laws — including the Forest Rights Act, 2006, the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The Ministry has asked the state to examine the matter and send a detailed action-taken report.
Spread over an area of 2750 sq km in Myurbhanj district, the core area of Similipal had six villages of which Jenabil, Jamunagada, Kabatghai and Bakua were revenue villages, while the other two - Barahkamuda and Bahaghar - were settlement villages. Though the state government succeeded in shifting villagers of Jenabil, Kabatghai Barahakamuda and Bahaghar from the core, 61 families of Bakua continue to inhabit the area. Though the core area is yet to be cleared of human habitation, the state government in April this year declared 845 sq km area of the tiger reserve as a National Park, the highest protection status given to a wildlife sanctuary.
The controversy centres on a proposal submitted by the Similipal North Wildlife Division, which sought diversion of 21.65 hectares of forest land for the relocation of villages from the core area of the tiger reserve. According to the Gram Sabha of Bakua, documents uploaded by the deputy director of the Division “falsely claimed” that villagers had consented to move out in search of better development opportunities.
{{/usCountry}}The controversy centres on a proposal submitted by the Similipal North Wildlife Division, which sought diversion of 21.65 hectares of forest land for the relocation of villages from the core area of the tiger reserve. According to the Gram Sabha of Bakua, documents uploaded by the deputy director of the Division “falsely claimed” that villagers had consented to move out in search of better development opportunities.
{{/usCountry}}“This is a fraudulent submission. At no stage were we consulted, nor was our free, prior, informed consent obtained,” the Gram Sabha wrote in a letter dated August 6 to the MoEFCC and other authorities. “Our culture and existence are deeply tied to Similipal. We have coexisted with wildlife here for generations without conflict. Claims of rivalry with animals over food and water are baseless.”
The villagers also allege that multiple versions of “justification documents” were uploaded on the government’s Parivesh portal, with fabricated claims inserted to secure forest clearance. They have accused the Similipal authorities of attempting “clandestine eviction” and warned that any displacement would violate their fundamental right to life and liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution.
The complaint highlighted specific legal safeguards:
Section 4(5) of the Forest Rights Act prohibits eviction of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes until their rights are fully recognised and vested.
Section 38(V)(5) of the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Act, 2006 mandates consent of Gram Sabhas before any relocation for tiger conservation.
Section 3(1)(g) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act criminalises wrongful dispossession of land or forest rights.
Despite these provisions, villagers say they were never informed of any relocation package or offered alternatives. “There has been no democratic dialogue, no attempt to explore co-existence models of conservation. Instead, fabricated documents were used to push a relocation agenda,” the letter said.
The Gram Sabha has already petitioned the State Level Monitoring Committee under the Forest Rights Act to initiate criminal prosecution against the deputy director of Similipal North Wildlife Division for “fraudulent submissions.” It has demanded immediate withdrawal of the forest clearance granted for the proposed relocation.
The Odisha Forest and Environment department on September 13 asked the principal chief conservator of forests and the chief wildlife warden to submit their reports.
According to National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) norms, villagers must be convinced in gram sabha meetings that they will benefit from the relocation and the new place is suitable for habitation. Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act or FRA, 2006 and Wildlife (Protection) Act (WLPA), 1972, amended in 2006, mandate that voluntary relocation should be the option when it is established that presence of the right holders shall cause irreversible damage and threaten the existence of tigers and their habitat.