The tiger versus tribal fight being played out in the country to the disadvantage of both is witnessing a new dimension in Karnataka's tiger reserves, where tribals are being relocated under the Forest Rights Act. The tribals complain that in several districts, the forest rights committees, to be elected in every forest village, are being set up under government orders without consulting them. The tribals in Biligiri Ranga Hills (a wildlife sanctuary) had expressed this concern to Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi during his recent visit to the state. For example, in Kodagu district, home to the famous Nagarahole National Park, which includes a tiger reserve, many tribals were not even aware that these committees had been set up. "We will never accept the members. The gram sabhas (village-level meetings) should have been held by taking us into confidence. Many of us were not even aware of the committees. We will approach the governor and seek reconstitution of the committees,' said JP Raju, president, Budakattu Krishikara Sangha (an organisation of tribes who practise agriculture). According to the Scheduled Caste and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Rights) Act, 2006, the committees have to be constituted through gram sabhas (meetings of gram panchayat members, taluk-level officials of major departments and other elected representatives). There is similar situation in Uttara Kannada district, home to another national park, Anshi. Here, the government converted 22 village forest committees into forest rights committees (FRCs). "The FRCs should have a maximum of 15 members, of which one-thirds should be from the SC/ST communities in forests. The government has not even informed the tribal communities. How can we expect justice from these committees when we put forward our claims?' said Nanja Siddu, a tribal leader from Uttara Kannada district. "About 4,000 families living in tiger reserves in Karnataka have to be relocated under the Act. Several families in the Nagarahole tiger reserve are willing to be relocated. In the Anshi reserve, an estimated 2,000 families have to be relocated. However, relocation should be done in a fair manner and has to be well-implemented,' said Sanjay Gubbi, programme manager (policy and outreach), Wildlife Conservation Society. He said the FRCs might not be empowered enough to address the forest-related issues on such a large scale. The Act mandates provision of land within forests to tribes practising agriculture. Karnataka's forest cover extends over 43,084 square kilometres, of which reserve forests account for 29,550 square kilometres. The state has five tiger reserves, five national parks and 18 wildlife sanctuaries. The FRCs have to be formed in all these areas. Wildlife conservationists are also worried that non-tribals could benefit from this programme. "There is every possibility of the Act being misused as it allows