Forest Department fears ‘outsiders’ thwarting efforts to protect ecologically-fragile region of Thengumarahada

Forest Department monitors outsiders paying to take over Thengumarahada village lands, impacting tribal livelihoods and wildlife conservation efforts.

The Forest Department is monitoring the flow of money and resources into the Thengumarahada village, in the remote fringes of the Nilgiris district, after it came to light that ‘outsiders’ have been paying money to lessees settled in the village, ostensibly in an effort to take over and cultivate the lands they are to vacate.

The Madras High Court had passed orders to vacate the almost 500 families residing in the village, and outside the confines of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), to protect the ecologically-fragile landscape. The region is home to the last known populations of critically endangered vultures, and other near locally extinct species of wildlife, such as the striped hyena, of which less than 30 are believed to be still in existence in the Nilgiris, all located around Thengumarahada.

On Monday, the tribal residents of Alli Moyar submitted a petition to the Nilgiris Collector, alleging that the Forest Department was refusing to allow resources and building materials to be transported into the villages of Thengumarahada, Alli Moyar and Kallampalayam. They said such restrictions were impacting the livelihoods and quality of life of local residents and demanded a stop to the restrictions.

When contacted, Forest Department officials working in the region categorically said there were no restrictions for the transport of materials to tribal villages in the region. They said all 500 families who were to be relocated were non-tribal residents, who were descendants of 141 members of the Thengumarahada Co-operative Farming Society, who had been leased the land for cultivation since 1931.

“Over the last few months, we learned that major estate owners from outside Thengumarahada, primarily Kotagiri and Kil Kotagiri, were paying ₹10,000 per hectare to families in Thengumarahada, Alli Moyar and Kallampalayam, and we suspect that it may be to lease the land from the residents to cultivate the lands once the families are relocated,” said a top Forest Department official from the Nilgiris.

Officials fear that this could lead to another wave of migration into the region, which could further complicate their efforts to shift the 500 families outside the region. The Forest Department is planning to work with tribal communities in the region, to ensure that they did not enter into agreements with non-residents to lease their lands and thwart efforts to protect one of the most ecologically sensitive and important regions of the Nilgiris.