*‘Rs 15L paid for deaths, Rs 20L for injuries’
Bivek Mathur
Jammu, Jan 5: With highest two deaths reported each in 2013 and 2021, the human-wildlife conflict has claimed 6 lives in the past 16 years in the Jammu division. The encounters with the wild animals have also resulted in injuries to 40 people.
As per a senior Wildlife Protection Department official, the cases of the conflict have been rising since 2021, mainly due to the increased human intervention in the forests for the purpose of construction of buildings, roads, and search of new grazing lands.
“The more we are interfering with the wild animals the more the latter are conflicting with the human beings,” said Anil Atri, Wildlife Warden, Jammu.
According to him, until 2020, hardly one or two injuries were reported in human-animal conflict from Jammu’s hilly areas including Mahore, Bhomag, Arnas in Reasi District, Panchairi in Udhampur District, Gandoh and Bhalessa in Doda District and other remote areas of the Jammu division but in the year 2021-22, two people died and 14 were hurt in the conflict with the wildlife animals.
“The number (of injured) was highest in the past 16 years,” he said.
“The wild animals have now even started to venture out in Jammu city areas, mainly in search of food and water as human interference has been increasing at an alarming rate in their natural habitat,” Atri said.
“So, the animals have started to look for food and water in city areas by coming out of their comfort zones,” he further said.
The Wildlife Warden Jammu said: “one person was injured in the conflict with the wild animals in 2006-07. He was paid a compensation of Rs 12484, while the one who was injured in 2007-08 was paid Rs 19400. Two people who were injured in 2008-09 were paid a total amount of Rs 15698 while as one person was compensated Rs 7163 for injury in 2009-10.”
“Five people were injured in the year 2010-11 and one person died. Rs 1 lakh was paid as ex-gratia to the NoKs of the deceased while Rs 2500 was paid as compensation to the injured. Similarly, Rs 38700 was paid as compensation for one person injured in 2011-12, and Rs 14000 to one person injured in 2012-13,” he said.
In the year 2013-14, two deaths were compensated with an amount of Rs one lakh each while as Rs 3 lakh was paid as ex-gratia for one death reported in 2014-15. Two people who were injured in 2015-16 were paid a cash assistance of Rs 30000 and Rs 8887 was paid as a relief for two injuries reported in 2016-17, the wildlife officer further said.
“No death or injury was reported in the year 2017-18,” Anil Atri, the Wildlife Warden Jammu said.
He said, “for nine injuries reported in the year 2018-19, a cash relief of Rs 2 lakh has been paid to the injured and Rs 2, 42, 00 was paid for the treatment of one person injured in human-animal conflict in the year 2019-20. The ex-gratia to the family members of the one person who died in the year 2020-21 was paid in 2021-22.”
“In the year 2021-22”, Atri said, “one person died and 13 others were hurt in the encounters with the wild animals. We’ve thus far settled one death case and 5 injuries of 2021-22 by paying a compensation of Rs 600000 to the NoKs of the deceased and Rs 7,15,000 to the injured.”
In the preceding year i.e. 2022-23, the wildlife official said, “one person was injured in conflict with the wild animals.
“While settling some of the cases of 2021-22, we have paid cash assistance of Rs 3 lakh to the NoKs of the deceased and Rs 700000 to the injured. Four cases of the injury are still pending settlement,” he further said.
“We’ve thus far paid an amount of Rs 15 lakh as ex-gratia to the NoKs of the deceased in human-wildlife conflict and Rs 20,06,599 to the families of the injured,” added Anil Atri, the Wildlife Warden Jammu.
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