FMR CM UK and MP DR. NISHANK DEMANDS ADEQUATE FINANCIAL COMPENSATION AND A GOVT JOB FOR EACH OF THE FAMILY MEMBERS OF MANEATER KILLINGS

The maneater attacks and subsequent killings of human beings in Garhwal and Kumaon divisions of Uttarakhand today reverberated in the Lok Sabha during the zero hour when the former Uttarakhand chief minister and Haridwar MP Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank expressed his serious concern over the incessant killings of people in the Rishikesh and Haridwar region by maneater leopards and tigers and urged upon the government and authorities concerned to erect the electric fencing and concrete walls around the affected regions including adequate financial compensation to the bereaved families and one government job to the next of the kin of the deceased.

Raising this important issue during the zero hour for five minutes Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said that the Rajaji National Park and Jim Corbett wild life Park are globally famous for the wild life protection and about 70% area of the Uttarakhand hills are covered with forests. But unfortunately hindreds of children, women and old aged inhabitants of Rishikesh and the sirrounding areas of his Haridwar constituency have been targetted and killed by the predators and nothing concrete is being done to safeguard the lives of the local inhabitants. Pokhriyal said that the maneater diabolical killings have assumed gigantic proportions with people compelled to live indoors.

There have been number of instances when these maneater leopards and tigers enter the houses and grab the children finally killing them brutally. Dr. Pokhriyal demanded erection of electrified fences around the affected areas to safeguard the lives of the local inhabitants of the hills and make necessary arrangements for adequate financial compensation and a government service to at least one member of the deceased of these maneater killings.

It may be recalled that more than 200 leopards and tigers have been declared as maneaters in Uttarakhand as per the conservative estimate and about 45 maneaters have been killed so far. Though there is no definite account of those killed but it is estimated that nearly one thousand or more people got killed in various predator attacks during a decade in various parts of Uttarakhand.

This has happened primarily due to the increasing human activities like constructions and other kinds of developmental projects in or around the dense forests areas thus resulting in lack of food for the tigers and leopards and as such they come near the human habitations near the jungles and road side areas.

Morover, there is gradual extinction of the animals in the jungles due to the increased activities of mankind and the leopard/ tigers / panthers who are carnivorous find lack of food and arrive near human settlements for human flesh being hungry for days.

Once the tiger tastes the human blood he becomes the maneater and prefers human flesh than the meat of animals.

There have been hundreds of instances of these man eaters entering roadside houses and grabbing children and making themthey easy prey or attacking senior citizens strolling on road sides during the early morning or evening hours.