Residents of about 136 villages along Dalma foothill on Thursday raised their voice against demarcation of Dalma eco-sensitive zone. Under the banner of Gramsabha Suraksha Manch, the villagers, who were in large numbers, staged a massive demonstration in front of the East Singhbhum deputy commissioner's office and blocked a road.
The villagers expressed apprehension of eviction and loss of livelihood because of the restrictions to be imposed by the department of forest in the proposed eco-sensitive zone, outlining the sanctuary. One of the villagers, Dilip Mahto said that thousands of villagers are earning their livelihoods from agriculture and forest-based products on the outskirt of Dalma sanctuary area.
If demarcated as eco-sensitive zone, the villagers would lose their livelihoods. He alleged that the forest department wanted to evict the villagers by declaring eco-sensitive zone. Terming it as a conspiracy, Mahato said that the villagers would foil any such attempts of the department. Traffic went haywire on the road, which passes through the East Singhbhum deputy commissioner's office in Sakchi as a tribal outfit staged a massive dharna.
Over 3,000 tribal gathered in front of the deputy commissioner's office at around 11.30 am and started shouting slogans against the district administration and State Government. Speaking about the move for staging dharna, Gramsabha Suraksha Manch Pradeep Bersa said that they were protesting as the Government has not taken the Gram Sabhas into confidence before deciding to demark Dalma as eco-sensitive zone.
"Though the land in question belongs to the Jharkhand State, but for any move, the local administration should take the Gram Sabha into confidence,” noted Besra. "We will intensify our agitation and try to prevent any move of declaring the area as eco-sensitive zone,” he added. later, a delegation of the villagers handed a memorandum addressed to the President of India to DC Amitabh Kaushal. SDO Prem Ranjan and city Karthik S assured the villagers of positive action.
Up to five kilometres from the boundary of the protected Dalma sanctuary is part of the eco-sensitive zone. The eco-sensitive zone covers an area of 377.89 sq km that falls in East Singhbhum and another 145.09 sq km that is in Seraikela-kharsawan district. The eco-safety zone in Dalma has been a bone of contention for long.
A December 2004 Supreme Court order had directed States to notify eco-sensitive zones within a radius of up to 10 km around wildlife sanctuaries and national parks to prevent their degradation due to mining and other industrial activities.