‘Over 4,000 killed in human-animal conflict’: UP CM calls for raising awareness to minimise deaths

Lucknow, Jul 19 (PTI) Asserting that Uttar Pradesh is the first state to declare human-animal conflict a disaster, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday called for raising public awareness and also pressed the need for leveraging technology to minimise the loss of lives. The chief minister also said that over 4,000 people have lost their lives in human-animal conflict, while more than 5,000 others died in natural disasters. Yogi Adityanath was speaking at the inauguration of the new headquarters building of the Uttar Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority in Lucknow. Referring to the recent death of a 12-year-old boy in a crocodile attack in Bahraich district, Adityanath said, "Barely two days ago, near Bahraich, a crocodile completely swallowed a 12-year-old boy. If we had exercised a little caution...After all, people already know which areas are prone to crocodile activity. It's not as if crocodiles travel vast distances. They generally stay within a range of just 3 to 5 kilometres throughout their lives." On Thursday evening, Sunil (12), a resident of Tikuri village in Bahraich, went to the banks of the Ghaghara river to relieve himself after helping his uncle, Vijay Raj Singh, with paddy sowing in the fields. Later, a crocodile emerged from the river and attacked him. Speaking about leopards rescued in Bijnor, Adityanath said, “ A day before yesterday, I was in Bijnor. We have rescued 80 leopards in Bijnor in the past two years. I asked how so many leopards ended up here on a large scale. They (officials) explained that their numbers have increased and, secondly, they are commonly found in the sugarcane belt. People have even started calling them 'sugar leopards'. Now, if a person isn't aware of this, he could easily fall prey to one." “If we can raise public awareness by identifying the nature of the threat and the areas at risk, we can prevent the loss of human lives on a massive scale," Adityanath added. The chief minister also emphasised using technology to prevent loss of life caused by lightning strikes. Citing the instance where over 111 people lost their lives in a single day due to storms and lightning, Adityanath said that he had expressed his displeasure over the situation and insisted on the use of technology, following which officials devised a plan within three days. "The result was that while thousands of people were participating in a 'bhandara' (community feast) at the Shakumbhari Devi temple in Saharanpur, an alert was received, and the administration safely evacuated everyone. Moments later, a five-foot-high surge of water came rushing down from the Shivalik Hills. Had there been no alerts at that time, hundreds of lives could have been lost,” he said. "We can ensure effective safety measures by the use of leveraging technology," he added. PTI NAV KSI KSI