Villagers Near National Park Fear Land Acquisition After Cheetahs’ Arrival

The Sheopur region of Madhya Pradesh’s surrounding villages are worried about a number of things, including the fear of land acquisition and the fear of the big cat itself, despite the euphoria surrounding the introduction of cheetahs in the Kuno National Park. However, other people are confident that more visitors would lead to employment creation if Kuno National Park (KNP) becomes well-known for its new residents.

In an effort to restore the cheetah population after it went extinct in India in 1952, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday released eight of the animals into a quarantine enclosure at the KNP. The animals had been transported from Namibia.

“What will happen to my little grocery shop when the last four or five villages are moved to make room for the park? Due to the evacuation of 25 villages for the Kuno Park during the past 15 years, we have already suffered financial consequences “According to Radheshyam Yadav, a street vendor on the Sheopur-Shivpuri road, who sells tea and snacks. He has a store in Sesaipura, 15 kilometres from the KNP.

Farmer Ramkumar Gurjar fears that a neighbouring dam project may cause the residents of Sesaipura to lose their means of subsistence.

When questioned about the belief that the cheetahs will increase tourism, he asserted that “wealthy outsiders” will rule the hospitality industry and that locals will only receive lowly employment in hotels and restaurants.

The primary source of income in Tiktoli, according to Kamal, a Tiktoli native who currently resides in Sheopur, is subsistence farming. The village also lacks a telephone network, jobs, and a water supply.

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