Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], December 20 : Taking serious note of the increasing incidents of human-wildlife conflict in Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced several essential measures including the installation of solar fencing and sensor-based alert systems, the establishment of modern wildlife sterilisation (animal birth control) centres, and the opening of rehabilitation centres at the district level.
According to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), the Chief Minister stated that several cases of human-wildlife conflict have been reported across the state. He said that in areas of Uttarakhand where wildlife such as elephants, nilgai, bears, leopards, monkeys, and other animals cause damage to agricultural and horticultural crops, physical infrastructure, and human life, a phased and well-planned security mechanism will be developed. Under this mechanism, solar fencing and sensor-based alert systems will be implemented to reduce human-wildlife conflict through effective action.
The Chief Minister further said that to control the population of wildlife such as langurs, monkeys, wild boars, and bears, modern wildlife sterilisation (animal birth control) centres will be established under the Forest Department in every district. He added that rescue and rehabilitation centres for identified wildlife involved in human-wildlife conflict will be set up in all districts of the state. For this purpose, a minimum of 10 nali of land in hilly forest areas and at least 1 acre of land in plain forest areas will be reserved.
Emphasising the urgency of these initiatives, CM Dhami said that all the above works will be undertaken as a top priority, and a detailed strategy for the implementation of these schemes will be presented within a period of two weeks. He also announced that an additional provision of Rs 5 crore will be made to the Forest Department for the procurement of essential resources such as nets, cages, tranquilization guns, and other equipment.
The Chief Minister further stated that for the effective prevention of human-wildlife conflict, the decentralisation of powers under the relevant provisions of the Central Wildlife Protection Act will be undertaken to empower Forest Department officers at the ranger level to take timely action against dangerous wildlife. Necessary amendments to the rules will be made wherever required. He also informed that he had recently held discussions on this issue with Union Minister for Forest, Environment and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav.