Garhwal Post Bureau
Rudraprayag, 17 Dec: Rudraprayag, with its extensive forested terrain, continues to be one of the most sensitive districts in Uttarakhand in terms of man-animal conflict. As winter sets in with longer nights and shorter days, wildlife activity is beginning earlier in the evening than usual. This has sharply increased the likelihood of dangerous encounters between residents and wild animals across several parts of the district. Many routes leading to the schools and the Anganwadi centres pass through dense forest stretches, creating a particularly high-risk situation for young children, students, teachers as well as the parents. In view of these growing threats, the district administration has initiated precautionary measures to safeguard the public.
On the request of the forest department, District Magistrate Pratik Jain has issued an order directing that all government, semi-government, and private schools, along with all the Anganwadi centres in the district, would not open before 9:15 a.m. or close after 3 p.m. until the end of December 2025. The directive has come into immediate effect in order to reduce the risk posed by wildlife movement during early morning and late afternoon hours. The DM has also instructed the Chief Education Officer of Rudraprayag and the District Programme Officer/Child Development Officer to ensure strict adherence to the revised timings across all institutions under their supervision. The administration has warned that any violation of the order will invite legal action under relevant provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
It may be recalled that recently the schoolchildren were forced to run for safety upon spotting a bear on their way to class in the district. Bear sightings have been steadily increasing, causing widespread fear in rural pockets. Yesterday morning, children from the Latdhar area of Chingwad village encountered a bear while heading to school. The incident took place around 8 a.m. when students Priyanshu and Sachin, accompanied by family members, noticed a bear perched on a tree as they walked towards Government Inter College, Peeda. When the bear began moving towards them despite their attempts to create noise, the group panicked and rushed back home.
The villagers also remind that the women now routinely escort children to school, clanging metal plates and shouting to deter wild animals, yet the bears continue to remain active in the locality. Three children from Latdhar studying at Government Inter College, Peeda, were unable to attend classes after the frightening encounter. Chingwad Village Pradhan Deepak Bisht stated that wildlife incidents have been rising within the Gram Sabha area and urged the Forest Department to intensify monitoring and patrolling until the situation improves. He also appealed to the district administration to arrange transport facilities to ensure the safe movement of students. District Panchayat Member Pawan Kumar supported these demands, emphasising the need for special attention to remote villages where children must travel long distances through unsafe terrain and he emphasised that immediate, concrete action is essential.
