TV
While Odisha’s twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack race toward smart city development, five villages tucked inside the Chandaka-Dampada Wildlife Sanctuary paint a grim picture of neglect, sources said on Friday.
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Despite being located near the State Capital, the five villages, Dholakatha, Dahanigadia, Behenta Sahi, Pithakhai, and Nuakua, lack pucca roads, concrete houses, reliable schools, or even basic amenities. Most homes are built with mud and thatched roofs, many now partially collapsed under the weight of age and disrepair.
Residents say they have been living here for generations, long before the area was declared a sanctuary in 1988. Since the sanctuary status came into effect, development work, including government schemes, has largely been stalled.
Nearly 250 families have been left in limbo, with neither forest rights nor access to state infrastructure. Their lives remain rooted in age-old practices for survival, even as the cities around them rapidly modernise.
Locals express growing frustration. Some say they are willing to relocate, but only if the government provides them with legal land documents and proper financial compensation. Others point out that the ten families who moved earlier received no tangible benefits, leaving many deeply skeptical of government promises.
The Forest Department claims that some families have already been rehabilitated, while others were offered help but declined it. A relocation site was identified earlier this year, but the process stalled after villagers disagreed over the location.
Under current forest relocation rules, any family volunteering to leave is entitled to up to Rs 20 lakh, provided they forgo forest claims and shift independently.
The debate reflects a larger conflict between conservation laws and the fundamental rights of long-settled communities. For now, the villagers remain stuck in an invisible zone: inside a forest but within city limits, isolated from both progress and policy.
“They (the affected residents) have already submitted self-relocation applications. They have also agreed to accept the existing government package. Accordingly, the villagers will be shifted elsewhere,” said Dampada Sanctuary Ranger Niranjan Mohapatra.
“As per the provisions, cash of Rs 15 lakh each will be transferred to their bank accounts. However, those who are keen to voluntarily relocate will be given an additional Rs 5 lakh as an incentive,” the senior forest official added.
