RANCHI: Years of efforts by Jharkhand forest officials have finally paid off, with Jaigir, located inside the Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR), becoming the first village to be entirely relocated outside the core area. The exercise will reduce biotic pressure on the wild habitat and provide space, free from human intervention, for the wild animals. Jaigir’s new location is near Polpol village, just outside the core area. The original Jaigir will become a grassland to attract tigers’ prey. Eight more villages have been identified for relocation. The reserve covers 1129.93 square km of land, with a core area of 414.08 square km, where these villages are currently located.According to PTR Deputy Director Kumar Ashish, they pursued relocation efforts seriously in 2023, and he began talking to the villagers and explaining the benefits of moving out of the PTR area.Referring to the idea of developing Polpol as a model village, he said, “The objective is to convince and inspire people in other villages to relocate.”
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