India: Report finds that less than 40% of illegal settlements within Sanjay Gandhi NP have been removed over last 15 years
It’s been more than 15 years that the Bombay High Court ordered relocation of all illegal settlements inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) to accommodations outside park limits.
The forest department, however, has failed to rehabilitate even half of the eligible settlers. Statistics show that out of the 25,144 eligible settlements, which the department was ordered to relocate within 18 months in May 1997, only 9,346 have been relocated. Non-profit organisation Vanashakti procured these figures with the help of an RTI plea.