Rebuilding life, outside the jungle

JAIPUR: It’s been almost a year since Punia and his family moved to their new village, almost 40 km from the Ranthambhore sanctuary that had been their home for many generations. Almost 29 families, including Punia’s, left their village Mor Dungri in the tiger reserve in July last year –after the district administration allotted them more land than they were occupying inside the forest. Their relocation package also provided for a provision to build pucca houses and access to electricity and clean drinking water. “We got six-and-a half bigha land in lieu of the two bigha that we had in the forest. That’s what finally convinced us to move,” says Punia, now busy growing pulses and millets on his newly acquired land.


The efforts to relocate the families in Mor Dungri had been going on for the last 40 years, says Ranglal Chaudhry, Divisional Forest Officer, responsible for relocation of the villagers living inside the sanctuary. “There were two packages that were offered to the villagers. One option was to take Rs 10 lakh in cash; the other was the land package where they were allotted land outside the tiger sanctuary.”

Of the 156 families in the village, many took the cash and left. Quite a few of them, says Punia, are now regretting the decision. “My brother took Rs 10 lakh as compensation for his land inside the forest. He built a house, purchased bikes and now he is left with no money.”

But for those who opted for land and were prepared to wait for it, the wait seems to have been worth it. “We are happy that we will be able to leave land for our children after we die, and spare them the problems of living inside the forest,” says Ramhet, another villager who opted for the land package. Maneesh Pandey, who runs the Grameen Shiksha Kendra in Sawai Madhopur and who facilitated the relocation process between the villagers and the district administration, says this was a rare example of a relocation where the villagers are happy that they got a good deal. “All across the country, relocation from forest reserves is a tricky and time-consuming affair. But the then collector, Giriraj Singh Khushwaha, took a great deal of interest and followed it up, Therefore, the villagers decided to name their new village, Girirajpura, after him.”

Efforts are now underway to make Girirajpura a model village, says PK Sen, former director of Project Tiger, who is now involved with the Ranthambhore Foundation, started by conservationist Valmik Thapar. “Our Foundation wants to equip the village with a school, health center, post office etc. Drinking water in the village is being provided with assistance from a Malaysian donor and electricity supply is being routed through gensets. If more villagers still living inside the forest see the kind of facilities that relocating provides them, it would be a big push towards reclaiming precious land for wildlife.”