Women gather to protest against the eco-tourism project. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, March 26: Protests by local people against an ongoing eco-tourism project near Baripada town in Mayurbhanj district have forced the forest department authorities to scale down the plan size.

The original eco-tourism project, Sriram Vatika, which was to cover more than 270 acres with a deer park near the Manchabandha reserve forest, will now occupy only 150 acres. Forest officials said one village instead of the four would come under the project.

Yesterday, more than 200 villagers, including women, gheraoed the forest officials, protesting against the move. They suspected that their livelihood options would be limited and the local ecology would be disturbed if the plan were implemented.

Ecologist Sudhanshu Sekhar Deo said: “The eco-tourism project will have deer park, pond for fishing and boating, recreational facilities, staff quarters, watch tower, water supply, lawn and an ayurvedic panchakarma treatment centre. However, apart from the loss to the original ecology, through tree-felling, the local people were suspecting that they might lose the right to enter the forests as the authorities are fencing the project boundary.”

In Keonjhar, the local people are not allowed to enter the eco-tourism site. Residents of four villages — Manchabandha, Mahulia, Goudihi and Bagdihi — are getting a livelihood source of more than Rs 40 lakh from the collection of dry sal leaves for making plates and food materials such as mushroom, tubers and medicinal plants.

Baripada divisional forest officer Bijay Kumar Panda said: “The project was planned after taking into consideration the livelihood of the local people. As only one village has given its nod to the project, the benefit from employment generation will be exclusive to that village. The villagers will act as vendors in all possible businesses as all project decisions will be taken by the local eco-tourism society. The forest department will only be a facilitator.”

The officer also said that as the local eco-tourism society would decide on everything, the associated villagers would never lose their livelihood options.

However, sources said annual income of the project was calculated at more than Rs 40 lakh, but with the revised area curtailed to 150 acres, the income will also come down to Rs 15 lakh through the eco-tourism activities.

Odisha forest and environment minister Debi Prasad Mishra told The Telegraph that no eco-tourism project would have any problem with the local people as the livelihood assurance was a major part of the project execution. “Sriram Vatika project near Baripada town is an ambitious eco-tourism site and the state government will ensure welfare of the local people,” he said.

However, environmentalists working in Mayurbhanj district are of the opinion that the forest officials should take the local people into confidence first, so that the project execution will be smooth and free from any controversy relating to livelihood.