In a move that will hit tiger conservation hard, the Ramtek sub-divisional officer (SDO) has allowed fishing rights in Totladoh reservoir, inside Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR), to Wadamba (Rayatwari) village, which is on the fringes of the park. Wildlife experts have slammed the move, claiming Wadamba villagers are only labourers settled there after Totladoh dam construction ended, and do not have any traditional claims on the region.The SDO’s decision has also come in for sharp criticism from the forest department. As reported many times earlier, fishermen from nearby villages already illegally enter the reserve, move through core tiger habitat, and are involved in all sorts of illegal activities like lighting forest fires, attacking patrolling staff with weapons, poaching wild animals etc. “Allowing fishing rights inside a reserve will hit tigers, whose numbers have started looking up in Pench and its buffer zone,” said Kishor Rithe, member, state board for wildlife board (SBWL). According last year’s official figures, there are 32-34 tigers in Pench and its buffer zone. As per the SDO’s report, 425 Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs) from Wadamba approved community forest rights (CFR) proposal in gram sabha in July 2010 for fishing in Totladoh under Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006.The proposal was submitted to sub-divisional level committee (SDLC) for approval. Of the 425 claimants, 115 are STs while remaining 310 are OTFDs. After several objections, claims, counter-claims and hearings, the SDO agreed that fishermen can be granted CFR in 11 reserve forest compartments, which are currently under water inside the tiger reserve.However, their rights on forest produce, grazing etc on area surrounding the reservoir were rejected. The SDO’s report has been submitted recently to the district collector, who is chairman of district level committee on forest rights. In a representation to district collector Sachin Kurve, Rithe has pointed out that these villagers were basically labourers, who have continued to stay on in Pench even after Totladoh dam work was completed in 1990.These villagers had moved the high court against their evacuation by the forest department. In 2002, the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court had rejected their claim and directed them to be removed from Pench. These encroachers were resettled at Wadamba by the administration in 2002.”When these encroachers were denied any fishing rights by the high court in Totladoh, how can the same encroachers get fishing rights in Wadamba. I have urged the collector not to approve CFR inside tiger reserve,” Rithe said.