Porbandar, Oct 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Gujarat government on Thursday announced a scheme for the voluntary relocation of Maldhari families living inside Barda Wildlife Sanctuary, offering each beneficiary family Rs 15 lakh in a single instalment along with a free 100-square-yard residential plot outside the protected area.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announced the scheme in Porbandar on the occasion of the 77th Van Mahotsav.
It aims to facilitate the relocation of families from the sanctuary while providing them access to development works, education, healthcare, and employment opportunities outside the protected area.
Under the scheme, the relocation assistance will be provided in accordance with the guidelines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
Once a family voluntarily relocates, the scheme will not recognise any further rights or interests of the family in the Barda area, and no additional amount will be payable.
In addition to the Rs 15 lakh assistance, each relocating family will be allotted a 100-square-yard plot free of cost for housing, subject to applicable rules.
The concerned Collector or district-level committee can provide the land near a village outside the sanctuary and its Eco-Sensitive Zone, provided it is at least 10 km from the limits of a municipal corporation and 5 km from those of a municipality.
Families owning livestock may also be provided a separate plot of up to 100 square yards for livestock-related purposes, depending on their requirement.
However, the market value of such land will be deducted from the Rs 15 lakh relocation assistance, and the balance will be paid to the family. The scheme will define a family based on NTCA guidelines.
The government has constituted a state-level committee headed by the Principal Secretary, Forest and Environment Department, to review and guide the implementation of the scheme.
The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force, Chief Wildlife Warden and Director of the Social Welfare Department will be members. The Conservator of Forests, Wildlife Circle, Junagadh, will serve as the member secretary.
At the district level, a committee headed by the concerned District Collector will oversee implementation, including determining the number of families, verifying supporting documents, and identifying families eligible for relocation.
The District Development Officer, District Social Welfare Officer, District Agriculture Officer and Executive Engineer, PGVCL, will be members, while the concerned Deputy Conservator of Forests will be the member secretary.
Spread across 192.31 square kilometres in Porbandar and Devbhumi Dwarka districts, Barda Wildlife Sanctuary is emerging as Gujarat's second habitat for Asiatic lions.
The government said the voluntary relocation would make a substantial portion of the sanctuary available for wildlife and reduce the biotic pressure associated with human presence.
For the Maldhari families, the scheme is intended to facilitate relocation with financial assistance and access to housing, improved livelihoods, education, healthcare, and employment opportunities.
Source: IANS
About Gopi
Gopi Adusumilli is a Programmer. He is the editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc.
He enjoys designing websites, developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various authenticated news sources.
When it comes to writing he likes to write about current world politics and Indian Movies. His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgment towards any.
He can be reached at gopi@socialnews.xyz