2,500 Trees Girdled in Chhattisgarh Tiger Reserve, Forest Department Seeks Action

Deep inside the Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve. A majority of Sal, Bija, and Tendu trees were found girdled, with over 2,000 fully grown trees affected, in an alarming development that has sparked concerns over the encroachment of forest land by villagers.

Following a thorough probe by senior forest officials, a preliminary investigation has been launched, yielding a Preliminary Offence Report against two villagers. The forest department has concurrently launched an internal inquiry into the actions of a beat guard and a range assistant. Who allegedly delayed registering the report for 20-25 days.

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According to Varun Jain, deputy director of the Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, the forest team has calculated that over 2,500 trees have been girdled due to encroachment, resulting in the death of the trees. The forest team used ISRO images to identify the encroached area.

Which showed a dense forest in 2006 but a stark reduction in forest cover in 2017.

Gram Sabha Federation, an umbrella body of all Gram Sabhas in tiger reserves, has found support in the community, with its president Ishwari Lal Netam stating that the figure is not as high as the forest department claims. However, a forest official said that the villagers have been cutting thousands of trees, and the forest department will take appropriate action.

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Villagers displaced in the 1980s to make way for a dam have begun trickling back to their ancestral lands over the past two decades. The forest department has been attempting to provide compensation. However, some claim to have received little to no support, leading many to remain absent from the area.

According to the forest department, 55 people of the village received compensation from the Water Resources Department. However, forest land in the upstream area has subsequently been subjected to encroachment and clearing. A DGPS drone survey was conducted two days ago in the presence of police personnel to identify the exact area identified through the survey.