KOLKATA: The Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown have bridged a key gap in the Sunderbans that will go a long way in protecting the fragile habitat and its wildlife. A group of foresters probing the tiger poaching case that took place last April in South 24 Parganas Division have reached out to the families of the villagers who have been accused of poaching the big cat and thrashing the foresters during a routine probe.
“These are hard times. And, above all, we now have to keep in mind that they are poor and we need to stand by them. Hence, we pooled funds and supplied ration to some villagers living on the fringes of the buffer forest, including the families in Bhasha Guguria village where we were beaten up,” said a senior forest department official.
The move was part of the department’s initiative to provide ration to 600 families in Jharkhali and Raidighi areas. “At least 100-150 families of Bhasha Gurguria village in Raidighi, locatedclose to the spot where the tiger was found dead, were covered under this programme,” the official said.
Forest guards like Gour Shit, Aamir Chand Mondal, who sustained severe eye injuries, and beat officer Debobrata Pramanik, handed over relief material to the families, including those of Anita and Bimal Das — the prime accused in the case. All seven accused are now out on bail.
Last April, a tiger was found dead trapped in a wire snare of galvanised iron in the forest of Ajmalmari-I. Almost two weeks later, on the night of April 21, 2019, a group of foresters, including DFO G R Santhosha, were beaten up by about 100 villagers.
Meanwhile, the forester said the department, in association with WWF-India Sunderbans chapter (which has donated about Rs 10 lakh) and another NGO, Archi, distributed ration to over 2,100 families in Ramganga, Raidighi and Matla. Members of HEAL and PUBLIC also came together last week to distribute relief material to 240 families in Kultoli block.
The department has initiated a similar initiative in villages on the fringes of tiger reserve area too. “We have selected 2,300 families. WWF-India’s Sunderbans chapter is providing us with Rs 13.5 lakh,” said Sudhir Das, field director of Sunderbans Tiger Reserve.
“These are hard times. And, above all, we now have to keep in mind that they are poor and we need to stand by them. Hence, we pooled funds and supplied ration to some villagers living on the fringes of the buffer forest, including the families in Bhasha Guguria village where we were beaten up,” said a senior forest department official.
The move was part of the department’s initiative to provide ration to 600 families in Jharkhali and Raidighi areas. “At least 100-150 families of Bhasha Gurguria village in Raidighi, locatedclose to the spot where the tiger was found dead, were covered under this programme,” the official said.
Forest guards like Gour Shit, Aamir Chand Mondal, who sustained severe eye injuries, and beat officer Debobrata Pramanik, handed over relief material to the families, including those of Anita and Bimal Das — the prime accused in the case. All seven accused are now out on bail.
Last April, a tiger was found dead trapped in a wire snare of galvanised iron in the forest of Ajmalmari-I. Almost two weeks later, on the night of April 21, 2019, a group of foresters, including DFO G R Santhosha, were beaten up by about 100 villagers.
Meanwhile, the forester said the department, in association with WWF-India Sunderbans chapter (which has donated about Rs 10 lakh) and another NGO, Archi, distributed ration to over 2,100 families in Ramganga, Raidighi and Matla. Members of HEAL and PUBLIC also came together last week to distribute relief material to 240 families in Kultoli block.
The department has initiated a similar initiative in villages on the fringes of tiger reserve area too. “We have selected 2,300 families. WWF-India’s Sunderbans chapter is providing us with Rs 13.5 lakh,” said Sudhir Das, field director of Sunderbans Tiger Reserve.
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