244 Gypsies are already included in the roster of Tiger Reserve.
HighLights
Tourism started in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve from Tuesday. Park management did not add new gypsies to the roster. MLA Meena Singh was adamant on the demand of new gypsies.
Naiduniya Representative, Umaria. As soon as the tourism season started on Tuesday, politics heated up over the demand to include new gypsies in the roster of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. In the afternoon, Manpur MLA Meena Singh sat on strike demanding inclusion of new gypsies in the roster. The MLA says that the park management did not include new gypsies in the roster. This has caused disappointment among those who have bought new gypsies with the hope of employment.
MLA Meena said that he had already told the management to include some new gypsies in the roster so that the people of the area can get employment. Many gypsies from outside are engaged and the people of our area are getting troubled.
stopped tourists
Sitting on dharna near the lock gate, MLA Meena Singh and her supporters tried to stop the vehicles of tourists from going for safari. However, the park management had made its own arrangements to send the tourists inside the park, due to which the park management has informed that there will be no hindrance of any kind in the safari.
Bandhavgarh Deputy Field Director PK Verma says that they have made arrangements to send all the tourists inside the park and no vehicle has stopped. Although the management did not say anything openly about its arrangements, but information has come to light that the tourists have been sent inside through another route.
244 gypsies in the roster
There are 244 gypsies registered in the roster of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. Out of these, 147 gypsies are sent inside every day through roster system. Before the session, it was discussed that this time new gypsies could be added to the roster, but there was also discussion that new gypsies could be added by replacing the old gypsies. However, in neither case were new gypsies included in the roster.
It has also come to light that MLA Meena Singh had already told the management that some new gypsies should also be included in the roster so that the people of the area can get employment, but the management did not do anything like this.
new gypsies protest
On Monday, 30th September, a day before the opening of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve for tourists, the Gypsy Union had submitted a memorandum to the Collector regarding the problems of adding new gypsies. In this memorandum, the Gypsy Union had opposed the addition of new Gypsies to the roster.
Union people say that already 244 gypsies are included in the roster. Some new Gypsies have also arrived, the Gypsy Union is opposing the registration of these new Gypsies. Gypsy Union has opposed this in the memorandum given to the Collector.
He says that it has been decided in LAC that new gypsies will come to the park on the basis of release, whereas no such release has been issued by the park management. Then why are new gypsies being registered? He also says that there are already so many gypsies that it is difficult for the family to survive.