While administration says there is no plan as such of any displacement of either 8 villages or any one of the eight villages
A piquant situation has arisen in Latehar district. A people’s forum called Jan Sangharsh Samiti is spearheading a campaign against a plan of the Government to displace people of 8 villages from Palamu Tiger Reserve and carving out of a wild life corridor while at the same time Latehar administration has made it clear beyond any iota of doubt that there is no plan as such of any displacement of either 8 villages or any one of the eight villages. Citizens’ forum fear displacement, administrative officials declare it as fake information spread by elements opposed to peace!
Jan Sangharsh Samiti held a massive public gathering on this issue on Saturday September 29 at Armu ground under Garu police station where leaders like K D Singh State Secretary of CPI and a firebrand champion of poor, Latehar district Congress president Muneshwar Oraon, former RJD MLA Ramchander Singh and others flayed the government for what they called anti people, anti poor policies like that of displacement.
If this Samiti flexed its public muscles on September 29 at Garu ‘s Armu ground DC Rajiv Kumar and SP Parshant Anand of Latehar district on September 28 not only pooh poohed the imaginary fears of the vested interests with regard to displacement terming it as nothing but a mischievous and misleading move to make common people full of disquiet. Anand said, “Our DC has made it very clear. There is no issue of displacement at all.”
Jan Sangharsh Samiti’s general secretary Jerome Gerald Kujur said the intention of the Government is not holy as PTR officials have circulated a form among the people of Kujrum village in this context of relocation asking them to fill it and submit it where there is a column of relocation.
On the other hand Anand said “ We have not seen any such form as claimed but we want to convince people of villages here that not even remotely there is any hint of displacement.”
M K Mahaling deputy director South division of PTR said, “Some villages in other tiger reserves of the country have moved out on their own. It is called relocation. A hefty package is given to a household which wants to move out only on its consent. Here too villagers were just told about this. There is no coercion, pressure or intimidation. It is the choice and consent of a household that matters most and if a household says no to it then it is no. It will be a big no to relocation.” This PTR official too found this hullabaloo unwarranted and avoidable.
Samiti’s general secretary Kujur alleged local police wanted to obstruct this public meeting which was a protest meeting as police wasted time of our people who were coming to this gathering by way of quizzing them unnecessarily, seized bow and arrows and even children were asked too many questions which was all to thin out our public protest meeting.
SP Latehar Anand said there was no such thing done by police as alleged.