Shubham Gajbhiye
Special Correspondent
Chandrapur district’s Tadoba area has today become a major center of attraction for tourists from across the country and abroad, and large-scale economic activity is taking place through jungle safari, resort business and tourism.
The Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve has created a distinct identity for Chandrapur district at the global level. But on the other side, the lives of ordinary citizens living in villages near the forest are becoming increasingly unsafe day by day, and an atmosphere of fear has been created due to the growing human-wildlife conflict.
Recently, four women who had gone into the forest in the Sindewahi area to collect tendu leaves were tragically killed in a tiger attack. This incident has shaken the entire district and there is an atmosphere of immense terror among the citizens of villages near the forest.
Farmers, shepherds, tendu leaf laborers, tribal brothers and families dependent on the forest for their livelihood have to move around every day with their lives in their hands.
According to environmental activists, it is being claimed that there are more than 250 tigers in the Tadoba area. Although tiger conservation is certainly a matter of pride, along with the increasing number of tigers, a serious question of safety of villages near the forest has also arisen.
In many places, tigers are being spotted near villages and tigers are being seen roaming in fields, on roads, in drains and near human settlements. Due to this, an atmosphere of constant fear has been created among the citizens.
While crores of rupees in revenue are being earned from forest tourism, citizens are expressing the feeling that there is a lack of basic safety measures in villages near the forest. Deputy Sarpanch of Shankarpur Gram Panchayat, Ashok Chaudhary, has expressed the opinion that while no one is opposed to tourism, it is necessary to prioritize the safety of the lives of ordinary citizens along with development.
Deputy Sarpanch Ashok Chaudhary has made the following demands to the government and the forest department……
1) Special forest security squads should be deployed in villages near the forest.
2) An alert system should be started so that citizens can immediately get information about the movements of tigers.
3) Safety equipment should be made available to tendu leaf laborers, farmers and shepherds going into the forest.
4) Immediate and appropriate financial assistance should be given to affected families.
5) A separate action plan should be prepared to prevent human-wildlife conflict.
6) A portion of the funds received from tourism should be spent on the safety of villages near the forest.
7) CCTV, drone surveillance and regular patrolling should be increased in the forest area.
The forest department, revenue department and local administration should take joint measures for the safety of citizens.
The “Save the Tiger” campaign is as important as the lives of citizens living near the forest are equally important.
Deputy Sarpanch Ashok Chaudhary has said that maintaining a balance between forest conservation and human safety is the need of the hour and it is necessary for the government to pay serious attention to this.
