By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
DEHRADUN, 6 Dec: The rising graph of wild animal attacks in Uttarakhand has once again triggered public anger, with frequent assaults on residents exposing the apparent failure of the Forest Department to contain the situation. The latest incident in the Lansdowne Assembly constituency of Pauri district, where a tiger killed a woman, has intensified fear across the region. Upon receiving information, MLA Dilip Rawat visited the affected village, met the bereaved family and expressed his condolences while asserting that the administration was not taking the crisis seriously. In this particular case, the legislator has threatened to resign as MLA, if the government does not take action in this regard.
During his interaction with the grieving family, the anger of the BJP legislator was evident as he remarked that continuous wild animal attacks in the area were not being addressed with due seriousness and that both officials and the government had failed to adopt decisive measures. Warning that he might be compelled to resign if the safety of villagers is not secured and if his concerns continue to be ignored by the forest department and the government. He also pointed out that although a bridge has been constructed at the site of the incident, the connecting road remains unfinished.
Speaking to Garhwal Post, Rawat said he has been pursuing the construction of this road for the past eleven years, and the absence of a motorable route forces villagers to use forest paths, thereby increasing their exposure to wild animals. He added that tiger attacks in the constituency have been unrelenting and that he has raised the issue both in the Assembly and before the government, yet no concrete decision has been taken so far. Locals insist that unless immediate action—such as capturing or eliminating the tiger, is taken and road construction begins without delay, the security scenario is unlikely to improve.
It may be recalled that the latest attack occurred late yesterday evening in Sirobadi village of Jaharikhal block, where a tiger killed 60-year-old Urmila Devi while she was cutting fodder with her daughter-in-law Priya near their home. After hearing a child crying at the house, Priya returned briefly, while Urmila Devi stayed back in the field. Within moments, the tiger emerged from the bushes and attacked her, dragging her nearly fifty metres. When she did not return for an extended period, Priya went to search for her and found her body with the tiger seated beside it. Her screams brought villagers rushing to the spot, causing the tiger to flee. Teams from the Kalagarh Tiger Reserve and MLA Rawat reached the site soon after, and the body was recovered and brought home. Villagers, who have long suffered similar attacks, said the authorities arrive only after such incidents and have failed to implement any enduring solution.
Calling the incident tragic, Rawat said his constituency borders the Kalagarh Forest Division and that the local residents are living under mortal threat. Speaking to Garhwal Post Rawat questioned how people can survive in such conditions and demanded immediate permission to shoot the tiger along with the establishment of permanent security measures in the area. He warned that if the government does not amend the Forest Act in accordance with Uttarakhand’s circumstances and complete the road pending for eleven years, he will have no option but to resign.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident in Ramnagar, a leopard attacked a youth in the Patrampur Range under the Terai West Forest Division. The youth sustained serious injuries, and upon being informed, the Forest Department team rushed him to the government hospital in Jaspur, where he was treated and later discharged.
