Vidarbha's Tribal Crisis: 100,000s Face Forced Displacement

thenewsdirt
Jul 4
8 min read

A group of Tribals carrying sacks on their heads, walking on a dirt path showing Vidarbha's Tribal Crisis where 100,000s Face Forced Displacement — Vidarbha's Tribal Crisis

Hundreds of thousands of indigenous families across Vidarbha have found themselves caught between conservation policies and development projects over the past decade.

The tribal communities of Vidarbha, comprising 32.1% of the region's population, have witnessed escalating displacement issues that fundamentally threaten their ancestral connections to the land.

Multiple waves of displacement threats have emerged since 2014, from controversial jungle reclassifications to tiger reserve expansions, creating an unprecedented crisis for the area's indigenous population.

Tiger Conservation Projects Drive Mass Tribal Relocations Across Maharashtra

Vidarbha's five tiger reserves, Melghat, Tadoba-Andhari, Pench, Navegaon-Nagzira, and Sahyadri, have become focal points for conservation-induced displacement.

According to national data, India's Project Tiger has identified 550,000 Scheduled Tribes and other forest dwellers for involuntary relocation, with a significant portion residing in Maharashtra's tiger reserves.

The displacement pressure intensified dramatically after 2021, with a 967% increase in displacement per tiger reserve compared to the period from 1973 to 2021. This acceleration reflects changing conservation policies that prioritise inviolate core areas over community-based conservation approaches.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority identified 89,000 families across India, including hundreds in Vidarbha, for relocation from core tiger habitats.

In the Melghat Tiger Reserve, established in 1994 on Korku tribal lands, extensive displacement has occurred over three decades. The reserve's Core Plan for 2014-2024 documented that seven out of 22 villages in the Melghat Sanctuary had been relocated, with the remainder earmarked for future relocation.

The Wan Sanctuary within the reserve saw five out of six villages relocated. Despite these relocations, rehabilitation has remained inadequate, leading to a dramatic protest in 2017 when 1,200 tribals from eight relocated villages returned to the forests for 36 hours, demanding proper rehabilitation facilities and better compensation.

The Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve has similarly pressured tribal communities for relocation, though some Gram Sabhas in the buffer areas have formally refused relocation and offered to manage conservation efforts instead.

This resistance reflects growing awareness among tribal communities about their rights under the Forest Rights Act, which mandates voluntary relocation preceded by the settlement of claims.

Wildlife conservation experts have debated the effectiveness of forced relocations, with some studies suggesting that community-based conservation models could achieve better outcomes for both tiger protection and tribal welfare.

However, the National Tiger Conservation Authority continues to prioritise core area inviolability as the primary conservation strategy.

Mining Operations and Infrastructure Development Accelerate Land Acquisition

The Vidarbha region's mineral wealth has made it a target for large-scale mining operations, particularly coal extraction, which has displaced numerous tribal families.

The region contains major coalfields, including the Wardha Valley coalfield with over 5,000 million tonnes of reserves and the Kamptee coalfield with 2,300 million tonnes. These projects have fundamentally altered the landscape of tribal territories, affecting water sources, agricultural lands, and traditional livelihood patterns.

Coal mining operations have displaced an estimated 313,000 people nationally, with a significant proportion being tribal communities.

In eastern Maharashtra (Vidarbha), the expansion of mining activities has been accompanied by a surge in urbanisation and industrial development, leading to further land alienation. The environmental impacts include severe land degradation, air and water pollution, and noise pollution, which particularly affect tribal communities dependent on natural resources.

Irrigation projects under the state's special package have created another layer of displacement pressure. The government allocated Rs 13,422 crore for completing 83 minor, six medium, and major irrigation projects across suicide-prone districts of the region. However, 59 out of 131 irrigation projects approved in the area have been hampered due to forest clearances, with only 39% of the targeted irrigation potential created.

The case of Katli Borgaon village in Yavatmal's Zari tahsil exemplifies the displacement caused by irrigation projects. The village lost fertile land along a rivulet for a 300-acre pond construction under the Prime Minister's special package.

Affected farmers, including tribal families, received compensation of Rs 30,000 per acre instead of the promised Rs 3 lakh, forcing many into landlessness.

Infrastructure development, including highway construction and railway projects, has further contributed to displacement. The expansion of National Highways across the region has required land acquisition from tribal and rural communities, often without adequate compensation or rehabilitation.

The Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation's projects, whilst improving connectivity, have necessitated the construction of road over bridges and other infrastructure that affects tribal settlements.

Coal India Limited and other mining corporations have faced criticism from tribal rights organisations for inadequate environmental impact assessments and insufficient community consultation processes.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has approved several controversial mining projects despite opposition from affected communities.

Forest Land Reclassification: The Zudpi Jungle Displacement Affecting 93,000 Hectares

The most significant displacement threat centres around the Zudpi Jungle lands, spanning over 93,000 hectares across Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur, and Gadchiroli districts.

In 2019, the Maharashtra government initiated proceedings to designate these commons as reserve forests, triggering widespread protests from tribal communities who had depended on these lands for grazing, agriculture, and cultural practices for generations.

The Zudpi Jungle, characterised by scrub and bush growth rather than tall trees, represents a unique ecosystem that has served multiple functions for Adivasi communities.

These lands, traditionally classified as revenue land with customary rights, became contentious when their ambiguous legal status made them subject to the Forest Conservation Act of 1980.

The 1996 Supreme Court judgment in T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad v. Union of India further complicated matters by defining all lands recorded as forests as such, regardless of their actual use.

In Chandrapur's Mangli village, home to the Madia Gond community, the reserve forest notification directly threatened their Community Forest Rights, approved in 2014 but with titles issued only in 2018.

The notification excluded nearby Zudpi lands essential for cattle grazing and livestock burial pits, creating severe restrictions on traditional livelihoods. Villagers were informed they would need permission from the collector's office to access grazing areas, with stipulated hours between 10 am and 2 pm, and restrictions on the types of animals allowed.

The Supreme Court's May 2025 judgment provided some resolution by declaring Zudpi jungles as 'forest lands' whilst allowing for a systematic approach to regularisation of existing uses.

The court directed the Centre and Maharashtra government to formulate a plan for diverting such lands for non-forest purposes, providing exemptions for lands allotted before December 1996.

This decision potentially affects thousands of families whilst attempting to balance conservation needs with community rights.

Forest rights activists have raised concerns about the implementation of these directives, particularly regarding the protection of traditional grazing rights and access to common property resources.

The Maharashtra forest department has yet to release detailed guidelines for the regularisation process, leaving many tribal families uncertain about their future land access.

Severe Socioeconomic Impact on Displaced Tribal Communities

The cumulative effect of forced displacement has created a crisis of livelihood and identity for the region's tribal communities. The Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, including Kolam, Katkari, and Madia Gond communities, have been especially affected by these multiple displacement pressures.

Economic impacts have been severe, with tribal districts recording significantly lower per capita incomes than the state average.

Gadchiroli's per capita income stands at Rs 48,311 compared to the state average of Rs 95,339. The Tribal Research and Training Institute found that 91.11% of the Scheduled Tribe population in Maharashtra lived below the poverty line, with annual incomes less than Rs 11,000.

Displacement has disrupted traditional livelihood patterns, forcing tribal communities to shift from primary sector activities like agriculture, forestry, and animal husbandry to uncertain wage labour. The loss of access to common property resources has been particularly devastating, as these lands provided fodder, fuel, building materials, and medicinal plants essential for tribal subsistence.

Social and cultural impacts have been equally profound. Displacement has severed connections to ancestral burial grounds, sacred sites, and traditional knowledge systems.

The restriction of access to Zudpi lands has prevented communities from practising traditional customs related to grazing, seasonal festivals, and community gatherings.

Educational and health outcomes have deteriorated in displaced communities. The school gross enrolment ratio for tribal children remains low whilst dropout rates are high, with 34.5% of Scheduled Tribe children aged 6-17 not attending school compared to 15.9% of the general population.

Malnutrition remains acute, particularly in Melghat, where thousands of pregnant and lactating tribal mothers and infants have died due to nutritional deficiencies.

Compensation and rehabilitation mechanisms have proven inadequate across multiple displacement scenarios.

The traditional approach of monetary compensation based on prevailing market rates has failed to restore displaced communities' living standards. Many studies reveal that compensation money is insufficient to start new lives without access to natural resources, land, and community resources.

In the Polavaram Irrigation Project affecting tribal communities, the rehabilitation package provided Rs 6.86 lakh to each Scheduled Tribe displaced family, including land equivalent to acquired land or 2.5 acres, whichever is lower.

However, such packages often fail to account for the total economic value of lost access to common property resources and traditional livelihood systems.

The legal framework has provided some protection through the Forest Rights Act of 2006, which mandates Free, Prior, and Informed Consent for any relocation. However, implementation has been uneven, with reports of communities being pressured or misinformed about relocation proposals.

The Act's provision for community forest rights has been significant, with the District Level Committee in Melghat granting community forest rights over 3,000 hectares and recognising individual forest claims of 76 people in Semadoh village.

Court interventions have provided mixed outcomes for tribal communities. While the Supreme Court's Zudpi judgment offers a framework for the regularisation of existing land uses, it also confirms the forest status of these lands, potentially restricting future community access.

The court's emphasis on balancing conservation with social justice reflects growing judicial recognition of tribal rights, but implementation remains challenging.

Tribal rights lawyers have filed numerous petitions challenging displacement orders, arguing that many projects violate constitutional provisions protecting indigenous communities. The National Human Rights Commission has also taken suo motu cognisance of several cases involving inadequate rehabilitation of displaced tribal families.

The displacement crisis reflects broader tensions between development models that prioritise industrial growth and conservation approaches that exclude local communities.

The region's economic development strategy has focused on industrial clustering and infrastructure development, often at the expense of tribal territories and traditional livelihoods. This approach has created what scholars term 'internal colonialism', where tribal areas serve as resource extraction zones for external economic interests whilst local communities bear the environmental and social costs.

The period from 2014 to 2024 has witnessed an intensification of these displacement pressures, driven by accelerated development projects, stricter forest conservation measures, and administrative decisions that often bypass community consultation.

The convergence of multiple displacement drivers has created a perfect storm affecting hundreds of thousands of tribal lives across Vidarbha.

As tribal communities continue to resist displacement through protests, legal challenges, and assertions of customary rights, the region remains at a crossroads between competing visions of development and conservation.

The outcomes of these struggles will significantly determine the future of indigenous communities, not only in this region but across India's tribal territories.