Supreme Court’s Buffer Zone Ruling: Impact on Melghat and Tadoba Villages and Projects

thenewsdirt
Apr 16
6 min read

The morning sun casts long shadows over the dense forests of Vidarbha, where the calls of wildlife blend with the daily routines of nearby villages.

A significant shift is underway, driven by a court ruling that redraws the boundaries between human life and protected ecosystems.

This article explores the Supreme Court’s directive on buffer zones around protected forests, focusing on its impact on communities and development initiatives near the Melghat Tiger Reserve and Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region.

The Directive and Its Reach

In June 2022, India’s Supreme Court issued a ruling that introduced a mandatory 1-kilometre buffer zone, known as an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ), around all protected forests, national parks, and wildlife sanctuaries.

This decision aimed to create a protective barrier for ecosystems by regulating activities that could harm biodiversity. By April 2023, the court adjusted its stance, allowing these zones to vary based on the specific needs of each protected area, acknowledging the diverse challenges faced by different regions.

For Vidarbha, home to Melghat and Tadoba, this directive carries profound implications.

Melghat Tiger Reserve, spanning 1,500 square kilometres across Amravati and Buldhana districts, is a critical habitat for tigers, leopards, and numerous other species. Its ESZ, notified in 2015, covers 1,268 square kilometres, including 347 square kilometres of non-forest land where villages stand.

Similarly, the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur district, renowned for its thriving tiger population, has an ESZ spanning 1,344 square kilometres, encompassing 118 villages. These zones impose strict rules on land use, construction, and resource extraction, reshaping life for those living near the forests.

The directive’s core purpose is to shield wildlife from human encroachment. Activities like mining, large-scale construction, and polluting industries face outright bans or tight oversight within these zones.

For Melghat, this means villages in areas like Dharni and Chikhaldara must navigate new limits on expanding homes or farmland.

In Tadoba, communities near Chandrapur and Warora face similar constraints, with additional scrutiny on tourism-related developments.

The ruling reflects a broader commitment to conservation, but its effects ripple through every aspect of local life, from daily chores to long-term aspirations.

Villages at the Forest’s Edge

Villages in Vidarbha at the Forest’s Edge

Life in the villages near Melghat and Tadoba revolves around the forest. Families collect firewood, graze livestock, and harvest bamboo or medicinal plants to sustain themselves.

The Supreme Court’s buffer zone directive introduces changes that touch these routines directly.

In Melghat, the 347 square kilometres of non-forest ESZ land include settlements where people now face restrictions on building new homes or clearing land for crops.

These rules aim to preserve the forest’s integrity but can feel like a barrier to growth for communities already grappling with limited resources.

In Dharni, a taluka near Melghat, residents rely heavily on forest produce to supplement their income. The ESZ regulations limit how much they can collect, requiring permits for activities once done freely.

Grazing cattle, a common practice, now faces scrutiny to prevent overgrazing in sensitive areas. These changes, while designed to protect wildlife, reduce the flexibility that villagers depend on. Incomes may shrink, pushing some to seek work elsewhere, often in distant towns or cities.

Tadoba’s 118 villages tell a similar story. The ESZ, expanded in 2019, covers areas where farming and small-scale trade sustain families. Restrictions on construction mean that new homes or community buildings, like schools, require special approvals, which can take months or years.

In villages near Chimur, plans for a community centre have stalled due to ESZ rules, leaving residents frustrated. The ban on commercial mining, while beneficial for the environment, eliminates jobs that once supported local economies, particularly in Chandrapur, a region with a history of coal extraction.

Beyond economics, the directive influences social dynamics. Villages near protected forests often deal with human- wildlife conflicts, such as tigers or leopards straying into fields.

The ESZ aims to reduce these encounters by creating a buffer, but it also limits where people can farm or live, sometimes pushing them closer to forest edges.

In Melghat, reports of crop damage by herbivores like deer have risen, as restrictions prevent clearing buffer areas for deterrence.

Tadoba faces parallel issues, with communities advocating for better compensation schemes to offset losses. The directive, while rooted in conservation, demands that villagers adapt to a new reality, balancing their needs with the forest’s protection.

Development Under Scrutiny

The buffer zones extend their influence beyond villages to the projects that drive economic growth in Vidarbha.

Melghat and Tadoba, as major tiger reserves, attract tourism, infrastructure proposals, and occasional industrial interest. The Supreme Court’s ruling places these initiatives under strict review, altering the region’s development trajectory.

In Tadoba, tourism is a significant economic pillar, with visitors flocking to see tigers in one of India’s premier wildlife destinations. The ESZ regulations, however, curb new resort constructions, particularly within 1 kilometre of the reserve’s core.

In 2021, authorities rejected permissions for two resorts near Tadoba’s boundaries, citing ESZ violations. These decisions protect the habitat but limit job creation, as resorts employ local guides, drivers, and staff. Existing lodges face pressure to comply with eco-friendly standards, such as reducing light pollution, which can increase operating costs.

Infrastructure projects also feel the impact. In Melghat, plans for road upgrades in Dharni and Chikhaldara face delays due to environmental clearances required within the ESZ.

These roads, meant to improve access to markets and healthcare, are vital for remote villages but must now account for wildlife corridors to avoid disrupting animal movement. The added planning extends timelines, leaving communities waiting for promised connectivity.

Tadoba’s challenges are equally pronounced.

A railway line running through its ESZ has drawn attention for its impact on wildlife, with documented cases of animals struck by trains.

Mitigation measures, like building underpasses or fencing, are now mandatory but costly, diverting funds from other regional priorities. Similarly, proposals for small-scale industries near Chandrapur, such as food processing units, face rejection if they fall within the ESZ, stifling diversification in a region reliant on agriculture and tourism.

The directive’s effect on development is not just about delays or cancellations. It forces a rethinking of what progress means in areas bordering protected forests. Ecotourism, promoted as a sustainable alternative, requires investment in training and infrastructure, which Vidarbha’s local governments are still scaling up.

Maharashtra’s ecotourism board has identified sites near Tadoba for development, but ESZ rules slow their rollout, as every plan undergoes rigorous scrutiny.

The balance between growth and conservation remains delicate, with each project weighed against its potential harm to the forest.

The Supreme Court’s buffer zone directive marks a pivotal moment for Melghat and Tadoba, weaving conservation into the fabric of Vidarbha’s future.

As villages adapt to new limits and projects navigate stricter rules, the region stands at a crossroads. Communities near the forests are finding ways to coexist with wildlife, from adopting eco-friendly farming to exploring tourism ventures.

Development, too, is evolving, with a focus on sustainability that could set a model for other tiger reserves.

This ruling invites everyone, residents, planners, and visitors, to consider how progress can honour both human needs and nature’s boundaries.

The forests of Vidarbha, home to tigers and timeless ecosystems, are no longer just a backdrop. They are a shared responsibility, shaping decisions that will echo for generations.