“I want to clear a misconception that the relocation project is a forcible operation," said Ramesh, at the inauguration of an event on Saturday.
“This operation is a purely voluntary operation, and families are free to choose whether they want to live in the sanctuary or not," he added.
The Minister said should a family choose to voluntarily relocate, they would be provided Rs 10 lakh to enable them to do so.
“If families want to continue living at BRT sanctuary, then it will be the first sanctuary in the country with communities living within its limits," he added.
The minister's statements came as questions have been raised on the fate of the Soliga tribes in BRT sanctuary. The site is a protected reserve under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and was declared a Tiger Reserve in December 2010.
Ramesh said that he had written to the State government to declare ecological sensitive zones around protected reserves, where economic activities will be regulated as per a master plan. “I have written to the Chief Minister to have these zones declared as soon as possible," he added. Read the full report here.
Source: Mangalorean.com, Bangalore.
