Death of twenty-two thousand rare pashmina goats in the Changthang plateau of Ladakh region owing to fodder scarcity during January-February raises the question why the consequences of shortage of fodder were not anticipated and why much needed fodder was not air lifted to save the rare specie? Authorities should not have failed to realize the dimension of a setback it would give to the economy of the State and how many thousand families connected with pashmina trade would be dragged to the verge of starvation. Unfortunately, the bad habit with our authorities is that they wake up to the consequences of a natural calamity after the calamity has struck hard. Why can’t they take preventive measures in advance? It should have been possible for the Central Wool Development Board under the Union Ministry of Textile to come to the rescue of the shepherds and their precious flocks by coordinating efforts with the civil aviation and defence ministries for air lifting fodder.
Better late than never, the said department has now drawn a 41 crore plus plan for pashmina development and hopefully the disaster in which such a large number of pashimina goats perished will not be repeated. It is national loss. We would recommend the Central Wool Development Board to explore other better accessible areas in Ladakh where pashmina goats can be reared. In case that is not possible, the State Government should constitute a committee under the chairmanship of LHDC chief to make suggestions of ensuring protection of pashmina goats against natural or man made calamity. A standing relief mechanism is desirable.
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