M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, July 7: The Palamu Tiger Reserve often comes into the firing line by some powers that spread the canard that PTR is a world away from the world and its officers have no concern for the poor who live in and around the tiger reserve.
However, the management of PTR says it is people-friendly and its officers, rangers, forest guards etc are easily accessible to the common masses.
The management observes it with pain that there is a concerted effort to paint the management in poor light, to the extent of being projected as callous and indifferent to common people.
Mukesh Kumar, the deputy director of the south division of PTR said, “Our tiger reserve is known for high-quality honey. Our villagers are free to go to places where they find a chance to have a beehive. We buy their honey and that way we augment their economy.”
Kumar Ashish, the deputy director of the north division, said, “We have with a fleet of around 300 trackers in the whole of the tiger reserve here. All of them are the villagers who live in and around the tiger reserve. We keep them engaged in our PTR. This is proof positive of PTR management having a healthy rapport with the villagers.”
On being asked when there is no material or circumstantial evidence of a tiger here right now in the reserve then what is the justification for having 300 trackers, Ashish said, “Our trackers are our bond and chain with the villagers. They are our eyes and ears. We stand by them and they stand by us.”
The retention of such a bulk rural human resource in the PTR suggests that the management is out to strengthen the ties of the tiger reserve with the villages and its people around and the number of the villages is around 190.
Mukesh Kumar narrated an incident when a villager was mauled by wildlife and he had to be admitted to the government hospital in Latehar, he fled from the hospital dreading that his ‘kidneys would be stolen there’.
“Not many people knew how our PTR personnel convinced this injured man to get his full treatment. The man was hospitalized later in Daltonganj where our PTR personnel used to visit him with cash and finally the man went home fit and fine,” he said.
Kumar Ashish also said anyone can come and see how families which suffered losses of lives due to an elephant’s assault have their sons working as trackers here.
One such person is Ram Nandan Singh working as a tracker whose father Ram Janam Singh was trampled to death by a tusker way back in 2011.
Yasin is another tracker whose father Oomer was killed by the elephant at Baiga Pani in the PTR.
However, Ashish added that there is no provision for the job of tracker in the PTR on ‘anukampa‘ (job on the compassionate ground). “But where we find that our trackers have become casualties of the rage of the wildlife, we do try to get one from such bereaved family to become a part of our PTR family,” he said.
“We have fire watchers who are none but the local villagers whom we engage for fire management at Rs 5,000 for 75 days,” Mukesh added.
Similarly, Ashish said, “We trust and rely on the locals when it comes to driving away any herd of the elephants, unlike other places where a team of elephant chasers is brought from West Bengal.”
When intercepted by lagatar24.com correspondent that there have been instances when the West Bengal team was brought in here to tame the jumbo, Ashish said it is true but only in those episodes where the elephants pose an extreme threat to lives and property.
According to sources, there has been a serious allegation against the PTR management that it presses in machines for earthwork where it can engage unskilled labourers of the villages around.
The crux of the allegation is that by putting in the machine, say the JCB, the PTR deprives the unskilled labourers of the wages which they could have earned had they been given employment.
Kumar Ashish said this is a mistake of fact and the allegation is far from fact.
“The forest, environment and climate change department sends instructions on how to go about the work in the PTR. The works are mainly silviculture. There is a set protocol for it. Trenches are to be dug up. The department clearly states as to how and with what trenches can be dug up,” he said.
“We are nobody to press in the JCB machine in place of labourers or vice versa. What is there in the estimate that is to be followed only,” he added.
Ashish declined to make any comment on whether work done by JCB machine is cheaper and faster than by manual force saying what the department asks for we just do it.
Mukesh Kumar said digging a trench in tiger reserve is not an easy thing. It has to be done faster and with precision.
“Our PTR management always tries to ameliorate the sufferings of the common people without any discrimination,” Mukesh reiterated.
The two deputies affirmed, “Our PTR loves wildlife and people too, so long they do not pose danger to habitat and wildlife as for any breach. There is set rule under the Forest Conservation Act and Wildlife Protection Act which takes its own course.”
