For years, the Maharashtra government worked to assist the villagers in moving out of the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve
Surrounded by a lush green forest and the remains of brick homes, 32-year-old Sanjay Dharne points to an empty spot where his home stood till April this year.
His entire village has been deleted from this landscape. It was one of six hamlets located within Maharashtra's Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, where experts believe over 50 tigers live.
For years, the state government worked to assist the villagers in moving out of the protected forest area. Three villages and about 450 families have been relocated since 2007; officials are negotiating the terms of rehabilitation for the others.
Sanjay says he has no regrets about moving out with his wife and three children. "It was a tough life without electricity, schools or medical facilities. Even the nearest market was 20 km away. That's why we agreed to move," he says. "We have all grown up in the midst of roars of wild animals including the tiger. On our way to the market we would also see the tiger. We had a fair idea of its movement so would avoid the routes tigers would take."
Under the government's relocation scheme, Sanjay and other villagers were paid 10 lakhs for every adult in every family. Some are buying farm land, and the government has offered them help in negotiating property deals. Villagers are also being advised to place at least half of their compensation in fixed deposits.
A forest department official explains why the move out of the tiger reserve is so important. The area has proven to be a home where tiger cubs survive till they are adults, a rarity in a country trying hard to save its tigers.