Now victims of tiger attacks in 'core areas' of Sunderbans will be eligible for compensation

Kolkata, Oct 5 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court has ruled that henceforth, the West Bengal Forest Department will have to pay compensation to the families of those killed by tiger attacks in the “core areas” of Sunderbans just as those killed in similar manner in the “buffer zones’ of the mangrove forestation area.

The single-judge bench of Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya passed the order on a petition filed by the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR), wherein the association accused the Forest Department of evading compensation to families of victims of tiger attacks in the core areas under strange grounds.

The APDR pointed out that the argument of the Forest Department in denying compensation was that the families of the victims in the core areas of Sunderbans are not only ineligible for receiving compensation, but are also liable to pay compensation to the department in such events.

APDR’s counsels Kaushik Gupta and Srimoyee Mukherjee argued in the court that since the Forest Departments’ circular on compensation does not differentiate between the core area and the buffer zone, the verbal logic given by the department is not tenable.

Although the order was passed a few days back, the copy of it was uploaded on the website of the Calcutta High Court on Thursday.

Welcoming the order, APDR general secretary Ranjit Sur said that following the development, the families of victims of tiger attacks in the core areas will also be eligible for a compensation of Rs 5 lakh, just like those who family members are been killed in tiger attacks in the buffer zones.

“The widows in the Sunderbans area who have lost their husbands because of tiger attack will be especially benefited,” Sur said.