Concern over crops being destroyed by animals

 During Zero Hour, the Opposition informed the House that people are leaving their agricultural lands and migrating elsewhere for better livelihood options with their crops being destroyed by the wild animals like elephants, wild boars and monkeys. Even tiger and leopard are on the prowl. They keep mauling them, straying into their habitats. Government is failing to reverse the trend, said three BJP MlAs, Banshidhar Bhagat, Swami Yatishwar Anand and Teerath Singh Rawat. 

The matter was raised  under Section 58.MlA Yatishwar Anand who represents Haridwar rural constituency said elephants are destroying standing crops raised by the farmers.Although Government has done solar fencing by spending `15 lakh it is proving inadequate to redress their grievances.

Teerath Singh Rawat said that in Ekeshwar village of Pokhra block of Pauri district, three women were mauled to death by big cats over the past three months. 

Even the compensation the forest department is giving to the families of the dead is meager when viewed against the loss they suffer.  Forest minister Dinesh Aggarwal said that to protect the agricultural land from wild life, the Government has decided to dig trenching in and around the farms.  “Even we are doing solar fencing and it covers 13.5 kilometers.  We are also giving cash compensation against the crop loss and human loss as well,” he said.