Ramnagar. The villagers of Dhela have decided to stop the movement of tourists by announcing the lockout at the park’s Jhirna Gate on Sunday, demanding that the village of Dhela adjacent to Corbett National Park be removed from the eco-sensitive zone.
Due to no hearing by the forest department, despite three days of protests, villagers have warned that their agitation will continue till their demands are met. They have announced this on Last Friday. During this time, the local MLA who reached the picket site in support of the villagers also had to face the displeasure of the villagers. On the other hand, block chief Rekha Rawat, while giving her support to the movement, said that any harassment of villagers will be responded to by the forest department.
During the gathering on Friday, the villagers accused the forest department during the gathering that the development work in the village has come to a complete standstill due to their village being kept in Eco Sensitive Zone. Their children are not getting any kind of employment, due to which their youth is facing an employment crisis.
On this occasion, the MLA, who reached the picket site in support of the villagers, faced strong opposition from the villagers. MLA Diwan Singh Bisht told the villagers that out of 36 villages in the eco-sensitive zone, 35 villages have been taken out of its purview due to the efforts of the government. The government is also trying to keep Dhela village out of Eco Sensitive Zone. Bisht assured that at the proposed Wildlife Board meeting in Dehradun on 26 November, there will be a demand to keep Dhela village out of the zone. If even after this, the demand of the villagers is not accepted, then in the assembly session on December 4, this issue will be raised strongly and the demand of the villagers will be fulfilled.
Block chief Rekha Rawat supported the demand to keep the village of Dhela out of the zone and said that the area of Eco Sensitive Zone in Dhela village adjacent to the park should be reduced to zero, so that these villages can develop. In support of this demand of the villagers, Mrs. Rawat will fight the rights of the villagers vigorously from the street to every house and justice will be provided to the villagers. BJYMO District Minister Inder Rawat said that against the indifferent attitude of the forest department towards the demand of the villagers, on Saturday the lockout at the gate of Jirna Tourism Zone of Corbett National Park with hundreds of villagers will be blocked and the tourists will enter the Corbett National Park.
Another side of the story – Actual sufferers are wild animals
We have to look out the other side of it, The villagers have trespassed the area of wild animals. Area of wild animals is shrinking day by day in India. The same story is being executed here also from many decades they have been encroaching the wild animal prone area slowly and illegally. Now because their population has increased so they have been shouting for development. Truth is that tourism is giving employment to the villagers as they are bonafide employees of three stars and four stars restaurants and hotels in the zone. So indirectly these wild animals are giving the employment to the villagers.
