Punjab Govt to permit Hunting of blue bulls

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Govt to permit selective killing of blue bulls

Sarbjit Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 22

Permits will be issued to seasoned hunters for the selective killing of blue

bulls in the Malwa belt where farmers have been complaining for years that these

wild animals were damaging their crops. However, no such permits will be issued

for the Shivalik foothills and the Kandi belt where wild boars create trouble

for farmers.

Talking to The Tribune in this connection, Mr Hans Raj Josan, Minister of State

for Wildlife and Forests and Mr A.S. Dogra, Chief Wildlife Warden, on Wednesday

said that a policy regarding the selective culling of wild animals had been

prepared by the department. “It has been sent to the Chief Minister, Capt

Amarinder Singh, who is Chairman of the Wildlife Board, for approval”, said Mr

Josan.

The Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) will be authorised to issue permits to

hunters only in the villages where panchayats will make a specific request that

wild animals have become a problem for them. One hunter will be allowed to kill

only five adult male blue bulls. Killing of female wild animals will be strictly

prohibited. And permit will be for a specific period of 15 days.

Already, Haryana and Rajasthan have adopted this system to deal with the problem

of wild animals. However, in Punjab, the Bishnoi community in the Abohar-Fazilka

belt is strongly opposed to the killing of wild animals. The community recently

warned the government against taking any decision regarding the culling of wild

animals in the State.

Mr Josan said that no permit would be issued for such killings in the Shivalik

foothills and the Kandi area. Asked about the monkey menace, Mr Josan said that

there appeared to be no solution of this problem at the moment. “We are studying

various proposals to deal with this problem”, he adds.

Meanwhile, the Forest Department has fixed a target to plant 70 lakh saplings

this year. Of these 30 lakh will be planted by village panchayats and the

remaining by the department. The government has a target to cover 15 per cent

area under forest by 2015 but it seems to be an impossible task in a state like

Punjab where 90 per cent land is under cultivation.

“We are trying to make forestry an alternative of traditional crops”, says Mr

Josan. The Centre had been requested to fix the minimum support price of wood,

he added. A meeting in this connection would be held on September 6 with

officers concerned of the Centre. The Punjab Government will also move the

Supreme Court to seeks its permission to issue licences for setting up saw mills

and plywood manufacturing plants in the state.

 

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Dr.Sandeep K.Jain

 

 

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