Odisha told to not relocate anyone from around tiger reserve till violations probed

THe Odisha Human Rights direction has ordered the say authorities to represent a upper-level probe to examine serious violations of statutory safeguards and human rights in relocation of people from villages around Satkosia Tiger Reserve, and has directed that no further relocation be undertaken from buffer, fringe or ringed-out villages of the reserve until forest rights are fully recognised and valid gram sabha resolutions are obtained.The panel was responding to complaints filed by Nabakishore Bisoi, president of Satkosia Abhayaranya and Praja Suraksha Samiti, along with other affected persons, challenging the legality and voluntariness of the relocation process from villages Bhurukundi, Asanbahal, Kataranga, Tuluka, Tikarapada, and Gopalpur, and other adjoining habitations.“In several instances, relocation was initiated or completed without prior recognition and settlement of individual and community forest rights under the Forest Rights Act, 2006. The absence of such settlement strikes at the root of voluntariness and renders the consent, if any, legally infirm,” the commission said.It said the probe must be completed within six months and asked the chief secretary to report compliance on the formation of the high-level probe committee within six weeks.It noted that gram sabha meetings were either not held at all or were conducted without proper notice and quorum. “Many eligible adult residents were absent, and the circumstances in which resolutions were obtained do not inspire confidence as to their free and informed nature,” the order said.The commission found that enumeration of beneficiaries was carried out in a “non-transparent manner”, with lists not properly published and cut-off dates fixed arbitrarily. This resulted in exclusion of eligible persons, including married daughters, persons with disabilities and long-term residents, while ineligible persons were included without proper verification.On compensation, the commission noted that payments were disbursed “without fair and scientific valuation of houses, land, trees, livestock and livelihood assets”, causing grave hardship to displaced families.“While the creation of inviolate spaces for tiger conservation serves the greater interest of society and ecological balance, such objectives cannot be pursued by disregarding statutory safeguards and human dignity,” the commission observed.The order noted that the affected villages do not fall within the core or critical tiger habitat but are ringed-out areas inside the forest. While NTCA guidelines do not mandate relocation from such areas, once the state chose to implement a relocation programme under its 2016 resolution, the process must conform to constitutional safeguards and statutory requirements.The commission has directed the government to constitute a high-level inquiry committee within four weeks, headed by the Secretary of Forest and Environment Department, with secretaries of ST and SC Development, Revenue and Disaster Management and Law departments, along with an independent expert on wildlife law and the Forest Rights Act.The committee has been tasked with examining the entire relocation process village-wise, verifying compliance with statutory provisions, identifying wrongful exclusions or inclusions, assessing adequacy of compensation and recommending corrective measures including differential compensation and restoration of rights. It must also identify officers responsible for violations and recommend departmental and criminal action, wherever warranted.