Salboni: The fear of a tiger roaming the jungles of West Midnapore, Jhargram and Bankura has changed lives in villages near the forest.

From taking turns at night vigil to relieving themselves in the village instead of going to the forest, the villagers have tailored their day-to-day activities in a way to evade the fearsome big cat.

Flames from a bamboo grove set on fire in Mahatopur village of Salboni block to keep the tiger away gutted two mud-and-straw huts on Tuesday afternoon. The residents of both houses are safe but homeless.

"The flames spread to the roof of Pashupati Das's house . By the time the fire was doused around an hour later, a major portion of the adjacent house belonging to Jamini Adhikari was also gutted," said Goutam Mahato, a neighbour who teaches at a high school.

The forest area, spread over more than 25sqkm, is dotted with human settlements between patches of jungle. Inside the villages, there are several bush areas and bamboo groves, where elephants often take shelter.

In the first few days after the tiger was clicked on hidden cameras, the villagers set dried sal leaves from the jungle on fire to scare away the animal. Forest officials warned that forest fires could send the tiger into the villages.

Pickets were set up to prevent villagers from entering the jungle, the main source of livelihood for many in the tribal-dominated hamlets. The villagers go to the forest to collect wood and tendu leaves. "It is a tough choice for the poor villagers. Not going into the forest could mean sleeping on an empty stomach," said a forest official in Jhargram.

Not ready to take chances, the villagers - armed with spears, sickles and flaming torches - are taking turns at keeping vigil through the night. "We are keeping the weapons ready. People are rarely venturing out of their homes alone after sundown," said Jiten Mandi of Dherua village near Lalgarh, a few kilometres from where the tiger was first photographed on March 2.

A senior forest official in Calcutta pointed out that, unlike in the Sunderbans where tigers are known to target fishermen and wood and honey collectors, in Lalgarh villagers are unfamiliar with the big cat. "They have never seen a tiger. They know how to keep themselves safe from elephants, which come in herds from Dalma every year but not tigers," he said.