Regarding the continuing human-leopard conflict in the Rishikesh Vidhan Sabha segment, the Vidhan Sabha speaker and Rishikesh MLA Prem Chand Agrawal chaired a meeting with senior officials of the state administration and forest department on Monday. Addressing the officials, Agrawal said that 26 persons had died during the past five years in human-leopard conflict in the Rishikesh assembly constituency.
However, so far the forest department has not taken any concrete steps due to which there has been a consistent rise in cases of human-leopard conflict. Residents are living in fear in localities affected by the human-leopard conflict including Prateet Nagar, Gohri Mafi, Raiwala, Khandgaon, Haripur Kalan, Sahabnagar, Chidderwala, Chak Jogiwala, Thakurpur and Khairi Khurd. This has also led to frustration among the people, which is natural.
Pulling up officials of the Rajaji national park and the forest department, the assembly speaker said that in the past too during meetings, he had asked them to conduct public awareness campaign and take measures to mitigate the human-leopard conflict situation but the department is doing nothing on the ground. He directed them to take concrete measures in the affected areas to prevent conflict situation, warning that official negligence will be taken as the reason in case incidents of human-leopard conflict occur again. Stating that a big cat was being seen regularly in the Dudhli and IDPL areas these days, he directed officials to take steps for capturing and releasing it away from the human habitations. The Rajaji tiger reserve director PK Patro informed Agrawal that the height of boundary walls in affected areas and localities adjoining Rajaji will be raised. The number of village watchmen and patrolling staff will also be increased. A campaign will be undertaken soon to raise public awareness among the residents of the affected areas, he added. The local residents present in the meeting suggested measures like putting up electric fences, watch towers and check posts to tackle the human-leopard conflict. Agrawal directed officials concerned to increase patrolling, set up cages, facilitate lights in vulnerable areas and clear the bushes in affected areas. On the issue of damage to crops by elephants and other wild animals, Agrawal directed officials to immediately pay the compensation to the affected people.
Principal secretary Anand Bardhan, PCCF (Wildlife) Rajiv Bhartari and other department officials and local public representatives were also among those present in the meeting.