No displacement of villages in PTR: J'khand govt

The Jharkhand government has assured the National Tribal Commission that people living in villages within the Palamau Tiger Reserve area, will not be displaced without their consent, officials said Thursday.

The assurance came after the Chairman of the National Tribal Commission (NTC), Nand Kumar Sai, expressed his concern over reported displacement of people from certain villages located inside the PTR area.

"No one will be removed from the villages without their will," an official release quoting Jharkhand Chief Secretary Sudhir Tripathi as saying.

Sai, who was here on Wednesday, had said that people from villages should not be displaced before making alternative arrangements.

The government's focus is on integrated development of the tribes, Tripathi said, adding, they are being covered under various schemes such as the Ujjwala scheme, Saubhagya scheme, Jan Dhan scheme and Indradhanush scheme.

The Palamau Tiger Reserve was established in 1972.

According to officials of the forest department, 15 villages near the reserve have to be evacuated following construction of Mandal dam on North Koel river.

The villagers are not ready to vacate their villages, the forest officials said.