According to the authorities, the decision to translocate Bhutia Basti and Gangotia Basti was taken in February 2023 as the two villages fell on the tiger corridor, used by tigers to move from Bhutan to Buxa.
“There was a road leading to Buxa Duar, which was one of the finest trails in that area. Unfortunately, that road was washed out in the 1993 floods. I was returning from a children’s camp organised in the area with a friend. We met a local kid on that road, whose gaze was transfixed upwards. […]