Vijay Mallya to support Karnataka tribals facing displacement

Liquor baron Vijay Mallya will take up the cause of tribals living in Biligiri Ranga Hills in Karnataka who fear being displaced as there are plans to declare the forest as a tiger reserve.

Mallya who is a Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka said that it is the tribals who are guarding the tigers from poaching and other dangers.

"If they are displaced, there will be no protection for them (tigers)," he said speaking at a function on the sidelines of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) today.

The moves are afoot to declare Biligiri Ranga Hills wildlife sanctuary in Karnataka as a tiger reserve that will force displacement of traditional dwellers from the forest area located in the Yedulndur taluka of Karnataka.

He said that he had raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha and will take up their cause.

He said that tribals claim that 'they have been co-existing with tigers for centuries'.

The MP said that after initially supporting the idea of a sanctuary, he did research on the claims of the tribals.

"Frankly, when I did more research, I myself began to think. It is easy to say to protect the tiger and declare as many areas as you can as sanctuaries," he commented.