The residents of Chorgalia and Nandhaur area have strongly objected to the recent approval given by the State wildlife board for developing Nandhaur wildlife sanctuary into a tiger reserve. A large number of locals reached the Forestry Training Institute (FTI) in Haldwani and gheraoed the chief conservator of forests, Kumaon, Kapil Joshi. The locals raised slogans against the State Government and the forest department while demanding the approval to develop Nandhaur as a tiger reserve be revoked without delay.
The villagers alleged that creation of a tiger reserve will negatively affect their traditional rights while also resulting in an increase in human-wildlife conflict in the region. The locals were placated after the department official told them that the tiger reserve cannot be created without their involvement. However, they warned of intense agitation in the future if their demand is ignored.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Nandhaur wildlife sanctuary is spread over about 27000 hectares from Haldwani to Tanakpur. It is located in the Nainital and Champawat districts with some of its portion located in Udham Singh Nagar district. About two dozen tigers are known to be present in this wildlife sanctuary. Since no village is located in the Nandhaur wildlife sanctuary and considering other factors, the state wildlife board had recently approved the proposal for developing it into a tiger reserve.