By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 16 Jan: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, once again, expressed concern today over increasing human-wildlife conflict in the state. He directed Principal Secretary, Forests, RK Sudhanshu to work out an effective plan to prevent such incidents. Following the instructions of the Chief Minister, the government issued an advisory for the people in this regard.
The guidelines say that people should avoid going alone in forest areas dominated by wildlife and, in case of any need, to go in groups and be especially cautious while passing through the forest areas or areas adjacent to the forests.
The guidelines further say that extreme caution should be exercised if the presence of any wild animal is detected. They also mention that one should enter such areas only when absolutely necessary between sunset and sunrise and exercise extreme caution during this period. Children should be encouraged to go to school in groups. The advisory further states that while passing through the forest areas or nearby areas, the people should carry strong sticks as far as possible. If encountering wild animals, they should be careful and maintain a safe distance as soon as possible. In case any wild animal is spotted it should also be observed if it is alone or not. All the people should walk in groups as far as possible and the group members should stay close to each other. No member of the group should be left behind or alone under any circumstances, the guidelines further state.
The advisory also warns people not to go near any wild animal out of curiosity or attempt to click photos. It also states that all animals with babies should be strictly avoided. In addition, it has also been advised that people living in vulnerable areas should regularly clear the bushes around houses, cowsheds, toilets and arrangements made for lighting the area so that the wild animals may not get space to hide.
In the letter addressed to Director General, Information, by Satya Prakash Singh, Deputy Secretary, it has also been made clear that no waste of any kind should be dumped around the houses or on the road and, instead, proper arrangements should made for its disposal since the wild animals are attracted by easily available food, which increases the chances of encountering them. The advisory also asks people not to give any food to the monkeys as, once habituated to readily available food, they become fearless and are attracted to human populations in search of it. Then it becomes difficult to change their behaviour.
