PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
The workers of Uttarakhand Congress organised a massive protest near the office of Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) at the Forest department headquarters against the rising incidents of attacks of leopards and bears in the State on Friday. Led by Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Ganesh Godiyal, a large number of Congress leaders and workers assembled at Dilaram Chowk and marched towards the office of the PCCF. The workers presented a memorandum addressed to the PCCF expressing their deep concern on attacks of leopards and bears.
In the memorandum, Godiyal said that in recent times the attacks by wild animals, particularly bear and leopard, have increased considerably in the rural and mountainous areas of the State. He said that these incidents have created an atmosphere of terror among people, especially women. In Pauri and Chamoli districts, many people have lost their lives while hundreds of domestic animals have fallen prey to these wild animals in the past six months.
Godiyal said that the Forest department should increase the tracking and monitoring of the movement of bears and leopards and increase night patrolling. Emergency rescue teams and personnel equipped with tranquilising guns should be deployed in the villages.
He demanded that immediate relief, compensation and medical help should be provided to the affected people and large scale awareness and training programmes should be organised on the issue. Godiyal added that the coordination network between the Forest department, local administration and Panchayats should be strengthened.
He suggested that the Forest department should prepare both long term and short term plans to tackle the problem of human animal conflict.
Former cabinet minister Hira Singh Bisht, PCC vice president Suryakant Dhasmana, former MLA Raj Kumar, president of Mahila Congress Jyoti Rautela and other leaders attended the protest.
