Kirangisarra: Field Assistant Dilip explaining the resettlement process to villagers |
Chargaon - people from 10 villages who attended the Jobs Fair |
Kadbikheda - Field Assistant Dilip speaks to villagers on World Environment Day |
Villagers preparing a soak pit, Kanhadevi |
The completed soak pit, Kanhadevi |
Mohgaon: Conservation Officer Bandu Uikey reads out a Government Resolution to the Village EcoDevelopment Committee |
Speaking to Mohgaon villagers about the benefits of starting a Village EcoDevelopment Committee |
Field Assistant Balkrishna telling villagers at Narhar about the upcoming jobs fair (Rozgar Melawa) |
Field Assistant Dilip speaks to Sawara villagers about the importance of conserving local plants |
Plastic litter clean-up drive by villagers and Forest Department staff |
Lantana products made by villagers, on display in the souvenir shop at Sillari, Pench Tiger Reserve |
Young villagers register for vocational training programmes at the Rozgar Melawa, Sillari |
Dr Zanzal at our free health camp at Surewani |
THE FULL REPORT
Team: Abhijit Dutta – Assistant Director (Conservation)
Bandu Uikey –
Conservation
Officer
Dilip Lanjewar, Balkrishna Bagmare – Community
Officers
Highlights
·
Two community foot patrols
·
One programme for preparing pits for plantation
·
Three meetings on formation of Village
Eco-Development Committees (VEDC); Government Resolution (GR) was read out and
explained at these meetings
·
One meeting on resettlement at Kirangisarra
·
Three pre-monsoon awareness programmes on
snakes
·
Three school education programmes
·
Three livelihood meetings
·
Lantana craft displayed at Sillari safari
gate souvenir shop for sale
·
Two job placements
·
Three youths sent for hospitality training
·
Two youths encouraged and sent for poultry
training
·
Informed and mobilised people from 40
villages to participate in ‘Rozgar Melawa’ conducted by Pench Tiger
Conservation Foundation
·
Organised six free medical camps, 205
patients treated
·
Three research projects completed by interns
Conservation Action and Awareness
On June 26, Bandu and Balkrishna organised a voluntary work programme to prepare a soak pit in Kanhadevi (Tekadi) village. Six villagers volunteered to prepare the soak pit along with our team. Balkrishna had earlier explained to the villagers the importance of water conservation and need to improve ground water level with the help of water conservation structures like the soak pit. The villagers prepared the soak pit from which the excess water, mostly grey water, now percolates into the ground effectively.
On June 21, Dilip organised a
plastic litter collection drive in Sawara village. During the voluntary work programme,
Dilip explained the hazards of plastic waste for both environment and human
health. Dilip explained to the villagers that plastic and non-degradable waste
was causing irreparable damage to the ecosystem and adversely affecting birds
and other life forms. He also told them that the waste was equally harmful to
people. He brought to the notice of the villagers the large amount plastic
waste along the road leading to the school and in the village.
Later, the villagers volunteered along
with forest guards and cleaned the plastic litter in the village and along the
road.
On June 23, Dilip led a team of 6
Village Eco-Development Committee (VEDC) members from Wagholi village on a foot
patrol in the forest area near their village.
The VEDC members looked for signs
of illegal tree felling or poaching during the patrol.
No such illegal activities were detected.
They also checked for presence of
wildlife in the area from the pugmarks, hoofmarks, scats or dung. Signs
suggested that wildlife, including leopards, seemed to roam around the area.
Dilip asked the villagers to take appropriate steps to avoid any conflict and
keep a vigil for any illegal activities.
These community-based patrols are
supplemental to the regular patrols being done by the Forest Department.
Separately, Balkrishna joined the Forest
Department staff on a foot patrol in the Ambazari beat on June 30.
On June 26, a voluntary work programme was organised by Dilip in Adivasi
Ashram School in Dahoda village. The students and teachers were encouraged to
prepare pits for tree plantation. 50 pits were dug in the school premises by the
students, teachers, villagers and Dilip. The plantation programme will be held
in the month of July during Van Mahotsav week.
On June 19, Bandu organised a meeting in Mohgaon to make the villagers
aware about the formation process and benefits of a Village Eco-Development
Committee (VEDC). Bandu read out the Government Resolution (GR) in the presence
of the Round Officer and the Forest Guard and explained how VEDC formation in
some villages has helped in village development and in reduction of man-animal
conflict through funds utilised from the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee JanVan Yojna.
The villagers agreed to form a VEDC and, on June 26, a resolution was
passed by the villagers to form a VEDC in Mohgaon.
A similar programme was conducted by Bandu on June 23 in Surewani.
On June 4, Bandu organised a pre-monsoon awareness programme on snakes
for the villagers of Ghatpendari. Bandu explained the behavior of snakes, the
reason for them venturing into houses during the monsoons, when their pits get
flooded, and the action to be taken if a snake is spotted inside human
settlements. He also helped people differentiate between venomous and
non-venomous snakes by showing an educational film to the villages.
Similar programmes were organised on June 11 and June 19 in Salai and
Chargaon respectively.
A meeting was conducted by Dilip at Kirangisarra Sarra on June 13 to explain
the resettlement process and package to the villagers. He encouraged the
villagers to unite for this and explained how resettlement will help them avail
better infrastructure, schooling and medical facilities among other incentives.
During May, our team had informed people about various government
schemes through meetings and displays of booklets in villages. Some villagers
approached us during June and Bandu helped them apply for these schemes by
filling application forms and submitting necessary documents. Some of the
villagers have availed the benefits of these schemes in the form of seeds or
compost for agriculture.
On June 15, Balkrishna organised a meeting on alternative livelihoods
in Suwardhara. At the meeting, held in the presence of the Forest Guard, he
explained how to avail benefits like free skill-development training programmes
which will help villagers get access to improved economic opportunities and reduce
their dependence on forests.
Similar programmes were organised in Ambazari and Sawara on June 21
and June 22 by Balkrishna and Dilip respectively. Dilip organised his meeting
with Self Help Group members in Sawara and encouraged them to make and sell cloth bags, to make the most of the Maharashtra state government’s ban on plastic (polythene) bags.
On June 20, the Forest Department celebrated the Foundation Day of the
Pench Tiger Conservation Foundation at the Amaltas complex in Sillari.
Kishor Rithe, President of Satpuda Foundation, was the Chief Guest
during the function which was attended by the APCCF (Wildlife) Nagpur, SP
Nagpur Rural, CCF, FD, Pench and DCF, Pench. Abhijit and Bandu made a
presentation on Satpuda Foundation’s grassroots community conservation work in
Pench in the past ten years and the impact it has had on the communities and on
conservation. Abhijit and Bandu also explained the positive impact of VEDCs in
the buffer zone of the Tiger Reserve through a case study.
On June 5, Dilip celebrated World Environment Day by bringing
villagers, mostly women from Sawara and Kadbikheda, to Amaltas complex in
Sillari to attend a programme organised by the Forest Department.
Dilip explained the importance of celebrating this day, took them on a
nature walk where he explained the importance of water holes and the importance
of conserving local flora and fauna. He then took them to the Tiger Tale museum
and explained the life cycle of tigers and the need to protect them and how this
helps humans.
Environment Education
As the schools reopened only in the last week of June,
student attendance was low and only three school education programmes
were conducted in the month.
Balkrishna assisted Nature Conservation Society, Amravati (NCSA) in
conducting nature camps for village children in Melghat.
School Education Programmes
Employment Cell
During the month of June, two
youths got jobs with a road construction company with our help.
Youths placed at HG Company
An important market linkage was
created for the lantana craft artisans of Pench by displaying their products
for sale in the souvenir shop at the Sillari gate of Pench Tiger Reserve.
Three young villagers were referred by us to join the PACE training
center at Sillari for a month long hospitality training programme.
PACE is an acronym for Pratham Arora Centre for Education. It
has its headquarters in Mumbai and has tied up with Pench Tiger Conservation
Foundation to train local youths in hospitality.
Details of the villagers are given below:
Two young villagers were guided by us to join the Bank of
Maharashtra’s Rural Self-Employment Training Institute (RSETI) training center
at Nagpur for a ten-day training programme on rearing poultry.
Their details are as follows:
The Pench Tiger Conservation Foundation organised a Rozgar
Melawa on 25 June at Amaltas Complex, Sillari. The Forest Department
asked us to mobilise people for the event. We informed all the village heads
and influential villagers about this programme in the buffer zone of the Pench
Tiger Reserve. Moreover, we mobilised youth and women from around 40 villages
to attend this event. We brought around 200 people in vehicles
provided by the Forest Department.
We invited training institutes like CII Chhindwara,
IL & FS Skills Chhindwara and RSETI, Nagpur to be a part of this event and
give details of their programmes to people from the buffer zone of Pench. Young villagers registered their names for various training programmes at the event.
Number of people mobilised and brought to ‘Rozgar Melawa’ at Sillari
conducted by Pench Tiger Conservation Foundation
Mobile Health Service (MHS)
During June, 205 patients were treated through our Mobile Health Service (MHS) free medical camps.
Research
Three draft reports were submitted by interns on three
projects focusing on wildlife tourism, alternative livelihood and conservation.
These draft reports will be analyzed, edited and then published in the public
domain.
Summer Internship projects completed
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