By OUR STAFF REPORTER
DEHRADUN, 15 Jan: Expressing concern over the leopard attacks in Dehradun, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday called for preparing an action plan to stop human-animal conflict and increase to Rs 6 lakh the compensation payable in the case of death.
At a meeting held at the secretariat, the Chief Minister asked the Principal Secretary, Forest and Environment, R Sudhanshu to work on the action plan and take action against erring forest officials. He said the forest department should install cages at various places to capture the leopards and increase night patrolling in the areas where the animals are prowling.
“In all those places where man-animal conflicts are taking place, the forest department should remain in alert mode,” the Chief Minister said.
He asked the forest department to put forward a proposal on increasing the compensation to Rs 6 lakh from Rs 4 lakh in case of death of a person in the human-animal conflicts. In the last meeting of the state wildlife board last year, the Chief Minister had called for increasing the compensation amount to Rs 6 lakh. He had asked the forest department to put forward a proposal in this regard before the state cabinet.
There have been umpteen cases being reported from various areas of the hill state where human-animal conflicts are occurring.
