Maha govt to give jobs to kin of wildlife victims, plans rabbit farms
Mumbai, June 23
In a major move to mitigate human-wildlife conflict, Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik announced in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday that the state government has drafted a proposal to provide permanent government jobs to the next of kin of citizens killed in wild animal attacks.
The decision will be implemented immediately upon receiving clearance from the state cabinet.
In an unusual measure to ensure carnivores find enough prey within forest limits and do not stray into human habitats, Minister Naik also announced that the state will set up rabbit farms modelled after poultry farms. Additionally, the government will aggressively fast-track the breeding of deer species.
The announcements came during a discussion on a calling-attention motion raised by MLAs Atul Bhatkhalkar, Sudhir Mungantiwar, and others regarding the rising tide of wildlife attacks, particularly a recent incident in Chandrapur district where four women harvesting Tendu leaves were killed by a tiger.
According to the minister, 55 fatalities were reported across the state. The government has identified 10 highly sensitive districts. The government has approved the Rs 260 crore action plan.
Expressing concern over the frequency of these incidents, Bhatkhalkar noted that human-wildlife conflict is no longer sporadic but has become an almost daily crisis.
Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar pointed out the stark socio-economic divide, saying that while wealthy tourists spend thousands to catch a glimpse of tigers, poor locals living on the forest fringes are losing their lives. Wadettiwar demanded that surplus tigers be relocated and that the density of apex predators match the forests' actual carrying capacity.
In response to the demands, Forest Minister Naik outlined a comprehensive expansion strategy to balance the state's soaring wildlife population. A new Tadoba-style forest zone spanning 5,500 hectares will be developed in Nashik to alleviate the load on existing reserves.
Over the next 42 months, several new sanctuaries will be established to systematically redistribute roughly 450 tigers. Extensive bamboo plantations will serve as bio-fences to prevent animals from entering human settlements.
Preparations for this are underway across Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Satara, Kolhapur, and parts of the Marathwada region, said Minister Naik.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sudhir Mungantiwar highlighted bureaucratic delays in disbursing compensation to affected families, noting that, despite a 30-day window, families rarely receive the money on time due to slow fund releases from the Finance Department.
To bypass this hurdle, Mungantiwar demanded the implementation of a Negative Authorisation system. Minister Naik accepted the demand and announced that emergency relief funds will henceforth be directly accessible at the District Collector's level, ensuring compensation reaches victimised families without administrative delays.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The irony is painful – rich tourists pay lakhs to see tigers, while poor villagers lose their lives for harvesting tendu leaves. Wadettiwar made a valid point. But let's be real: relocating tigers is easier said than done. At least the compensation delay issue is being addressed with collector-level powers. Baby steps, but still progress. 🙏
Rs 260 crore action plan sounds impressive, but will it actually be implemented? We've seen so many announcements fizzle out. The negative authorisation for compensation is a good move though – bureaucrats often sit on files for months. Hope the rabbit farms don't become another corruption racket. Need strict monitoring.
Interesting approach with the rabbit farms. In Australia we have similar issues with dingoes and we use buffer zones. Bamboo plantations as bio-fences is actually quite smart – natural barrier that also provides livelihood. But 450 tigers in 42 months? That's a massive undertaking. Hope Maharashtra has the manpower and expertise.
As someone from Chandrapur, I know how terrifying these attacks are. Four women killed while just doing their job – heartbreaking. The job guarantee is good but why not also give proper safety equipment? Mobile alerts when tigers are near would help. At least the government is talking about this instead of ignoring it like before.
Another Tadoba-style zone in Nashik? That's going to displace more people. The real solution is smarter urban planning – stop encroaching on forest land. And why is deer breeding needed? Won't that just attract more tigers to those areas? Feels like treating symptoms, not the disease
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