Suggestion to release goats in forest to curb leopard attacks laughable: Ajit Pawar
Nagpur (PTI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday made light of the state forest minister's suggestion to release goats into the forest to keep leopards away from human settlements, saying that apart from big cats, villagers will also feast on this prey base.
During an informal interaction with reporters here, Pawar said the idea appeared to have originated from the forest department.
"Instead of leopards, even villagers will feast on the goats released as prey," he said with a chuckle.
Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik has suggested that forest officials release goats in large numbers in forests to stop leopards from entering human settlements in search of prey.
"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 leopards do not venture into human habitats," the minister had said.
When asked about the government's plans to tackle the rising incidents involving leopards, Pawar said leopards were breeding and living in certain pockets of Maharashtra, especially in sugarcane-growing regions.
He said the government had also made enquiries with Vantara zoo, which had conveyed that it could take only up to 50 leopards.
"I have heard there are nearly 2,000 leopards in Maharashtra. In such a situation, we need to think of other measures," Pawar added.
He said sterilisation could be an effective option, but its impact would be seen only over a long period, as even after sterilisation, leopards would continue to hunt for food.
Pawar said the government was working to enhance the capacity of existing rescue centres and set up new facilities to address the issue.
Ahilyanagar, Pune, and Nashik districts were reporting the highest number of leopard-related incidents, according to the state forest department.
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Put petty politics aside; it's not about one party, but India: Rahul on TMC's loss in polls
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday termed the BJP's victory in Bengal and Assam assembly polls a "theft" of the mandate, and a big step forward in the saffron party's mission to "destroy" Indian democracy.
Gandhi also came out in support of the TMC, which has been trounced by the BJP in the polls, and urged those gloating over the loss of Mamata Banerjee's party to put petty politics aside.
"Some in the Congress, and others, are gloating about TMC's loss.They need to understand this clearly - the theft of Assam and Bengal's mandate is a big step forward by the BJP in its mission to destroy Indian democracy," Gandhi said in a post on X.
"Put petty politics aside. This is not about one party or another. This is about India," he said in his post.
The BJP ousted Trinamool Congress from power in Bengal and captured power for the third time in a row in Assam in results of assembly polls declared on Monday.
