‘Release goats worth Rs 1 crore into forests’: Maharashtra minister Ganesh Naik’s plan to curb leopard attacks

“If four people are killed in leopard attacks, the state must pay Rs 1 crore as compensation. So, I told officials, instead of paying compensation after deaths, release goats worth Rs 1 crore into the forest so that leopards do not venture into human habitats,” Naik said, while replying to the motion raised by NCP(SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad. A majority of such cases are concentrated in the Pune, Nashik and Ahilyanagar districts.

“Earlier, they were described as forest animals, but now their habitat has shifted to sugarcane fields. The behaviour and living patterns of leopards have changed. There are no fruit-bearing trees left in the forest areas, due to which…leopard and other carnivores are venturing out of the forest areas. I have asked the forest officials to plant fruit-bearing trees…,” Naik said, responding to a query.

Naik also informed the House that the state government has sent a proposal to the Union government to move the leopard from Schedule I to Schedule II under the Wildlife Protection Act.

Objecting to Naik’s response, Congress leader Nana Patole said, “As a member of Lok Sabha in the past, I had served in a committee related to wildlife issues. I can assure you that the Union government will not approve the state’s proposal to change the leopards from Schedule I to Schedule II.”

Independent MLA Sharad Sonawane from Junnar in Pune district said, “Leopard menace is maximum in my constituency, where 55 people have died in leopard attacks. There is a rescue centre in my constituency; its capacity should be increased.”

Naik said the state government has decided to increase the intake capacity of the leopard rescue centre in Junnar. “A new rescue centre is also proposed in Ahilyanagar to curb the leopard problem,” he added.

As all party MLAs continued to raise the issue, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule announced that division-wise meetings with MLAs and forest and revenue officials would be held to find solutions to the issues.