Two polling stations located deep inside Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal will witness their last elections on April 19 before they are dismantled, as their relocated voters will make a trip to their former villages to exercise their franchise.
A total of 242 families residing in Gangutia and Bhutia Basti were moved out of the core forest area in March to make way for tigers, and shifted to Bono Chhaya near Bhatpara Tea Garden in Kalchini, where they have been provided with deeds of nonforest land.They are still however registered voters at the booths inside the forest.
“We will make transport arrangements for 353 to vote in Gangutia and 89 in Bhutia Basti as it is a special case,” R Vimla, district election officer and district magistrate of Alipurduar told TOI.
Gangutia and Bhutia Basti were relocated in accordance with a proposal by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Global Tiger Forum for reintroduction of tigers in the north Bengal forest. “Every villager was given Rs 15 lakh,” said Debasis Sharma, deputy field director, Buxa Tiger Reserve (East).

An MoU was signed between the BTR field director and each beneficiary after numerous meetings were held with the villagers to take care of their apprehensions. The first instalment was released to each beneficiary in Dec 2023, following which the forest department pursued and facilitated the shifting.
There are 35 more forest villages across BTR, of which 12 are in the core area and need relocation. Recently, from evidence collected from inside the forest, BTR claimed that it got at least one resident tiger after a gap of 40 years. BTR officials believe that because of efforts towards improved habitat conditions, tigers have returned.
“Buxa is contiguous with Bhutan’s Phibsoo wildlife sanctuary and Royal Manas National Park. We are trying to enhance the prey base so that tigers come to Buxa from the contiguous forests,” a forester said.
Bengal forest department had written to NTCA asking it to reintroduce tigers in Buxa Tiger Reserve after big cats apparently migrated to Bhutan due to loss of habitat. Experts feel bringing tigers from outside is not the solution. “First, we would have to ensure that the environment is perfect for them. For that, undergrowth is a must. These forest villages, with a population of nearly 13,000, have livestock of over one lakh. Cows enter BTR every day for grazing, affecting the undergrowth,” a forest official said.
“Now that two villages have been relocated, we are hopeful that others living in Buxa will follow suit,” a BTR official said.
In Dec 2021, a tiger was clicked by camera traps in BTR after a gap of 28 years. It had come down from the upper reaches of the contiguous Bhutan forests. A big cat was spotted on the cameras last Dec too. “This time, the tigers have tended to stay in Buxa. Our staff has worked relentlessly to make the forest liveable for tigers. We are getting the results now,” a senior forester said.