PRAYAGRAJ, Sept. 21 -- Residents living within the Chand Khamariya Krishna Mrig (blackbuck) Conservation Reserve in Meja tehsil are likely to be relocated and rehabilitated in a dedicated housing colony as part of the district administration's proposed comprehensive conservation and development plan for the protected area. Divisional commissioner Dr Lokesh M inspected the reserve on Saturday and directed officials to prepare an action plan for its conservation and development. He asked chief development officer Harshika Singh to ensure that all eligible families are provided housing under the Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana, a senior official familiar with the development said. The commissioner also directed the forest department to complete the demarcation of the remaining reserve land, ensure its formal transfer to the department and prioritise the construction of a strong boundary wall around the protected area. Meja forest ranger Ajay Kumar Singh said around 450 to 500 people were still residing within the reserve area. Ensuring a year-round water supply for blackbucks emerged as a key priority during the inspection. NTPC officials agreed to develop borewells equipped with solar pumps and small ponds in the reserve using funds under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme. Officials will also assess the feasibility of supplying river water to the reserve through a canal linked to a pumping station. A survey will be conducted to evaluate the proposed system, they said. The administration is also planning rainwater-harvesting structures, ponds and bunds, besides plantation drives. A green nursery will be developed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to improve the availability of natural food for blackbucks. As part of the eco-tourism initiative, the tourism department will develop huts featuring mud walls and traditional tiled roofs in the eco-park, while constructing watchtowers to facilitate monitoring of the protected area and promote visitor access. Divisional commissioner stressed that all development works must be undertaken without compromising the reserve's natural environment and biodiversity. Located around 40 km from Prayagraj in the trans-Yamuna region, Chand Khamariya is home to Uttar Pradesh's only blackbuck sanctuary. In 2017, the state government approved the establishment of a blackbuck conservation reserve in the area, making it the state's first conservation reserve dedicated to the species. Forest department officials said conservation efforts yielded encouraging results over the years. The blackbuck population, which stood at around 404 in 2011, increased to 506 in 2019 and approximately 553 in 2022. The 2022 count included around 173 males, 250 females and 130 fawns. A fresh census is expected to be conducted in 2026. The reserve was established on land belonging to the Chand Khamariya and Malikalan village councils in the Meja forest area. The then district magistrate had made available 88 hectares of land in Chand Khamariya and Malikalan, along with 38.123 hectares of adjoining forest land, taking the total area earmarked for the reserve to 126.123 hectares....