Cong corners govt over surge in animal attacks
DEHRADUN: Congress leaders on Wednesday cornered the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for failing to curb the rising wildlife animal attacks in the state, people aware of the matter said.
In total, 444 people have been killed in wild animal attacks in the state since 2017, the forest minister informed the assembly during the ongoing budget session on Tuesday.
Haldwani MLA Sumit Hridayesh said people in all 13 districts of the state were at risk due to the surge in wild animal attacks and demanded the formation of a special task force to curb the problem.
“In 2006, the tiger count in the state was 176, which increased to 560 in 2022. In Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR), the tiger count was 137 in 2006, which increased to 260 in 2022. The tiger count has further increased in the last two years ,” he said.
The Congress legislator said several wild animal attacks have taken place near my area since November last year.
“There are many reasons behind these incidents. Global warming is the key reason. The migration of animals is taking place untimely. Therefore, the incidents of man-wildlife conflicts are continuously rising,” Hridayesh said.
“Meanwhile, bears, wild boar, and monkeys have been destroying crops in the hills. But, the solution of this problem hasn’t been found. Every month, they are destroying 20 hectares of crops. Elephants are also contributing to this problem... Lives of the farmers are also at stake,” he said.
He added, “In a state which has 71% forest cover, it is a big question how wild animals have become a problem. According to data from the last four years, wild animals destroyed standing crops in 967.2 hectares. In Haldwani, monkey menace is very prevalent near forest areas.”
The MLA further suggested ways to curb the rising issue. “The number of man-eaters [animals] should be identified. A policy should be introduced by the state government with regard to this,” he said.
He further said that there was no provision to curb the menace
in the state budget presented on Tuesday.
“It’s disappointing that there was nothing in the budget to curb the problem. An STF should be formed in the state to address the problem…the environmentalists and subject experts should be consulted. If any other Himalayan state has a successful plan in place to curb wild animal attacks], it should be replicated in the state,” he said.
Yashpal Arya, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Uttarakhand Assembly, said, “It is a serious problem. It is a reality that the protection of wild animals is a priority for the state government. However, the aggressive cutting of trees...forests are getting empty. The wild animals are drawing closer to human habitations. The number of forest personnel [against sanctioned] is not adequate. Continued deaths are being reported...there is a sense of fear everywhere.”
Bhuwan Kapri, deputy LoP in the state assembly, said, “Till now, 5,491 incidents of attacks by wild animals have taken place and 1,115 people have lost their lives. People feel helpless. I ask the state government to take concrete steps to address the problem so that people feel secure.”
State forest minister Uniyal, in this reply to the concerns raised by opposition MLAs, said, “We are serious about the issue. From increasing compensation, to increasing the list of crops damaged by wild animals, we have taken all possible measures to address the problem. For the shortage of personnel, around 900 forest guards and 300 forest darogas have been recruited and stationed in the fields.”
He said, “It is true that the number of tigers have increased in the state. But the number of farmers has come down.“