Nagpur: Tension ran high in Jhinjeria village of Ramtek Taluka in Nagpur district after a tiger mauled to death a 65-year-old woman, Nita Buddhu Kumbhare (55), in the buffer zone of Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR), Maharashtra, on Tuesday evening.
This is the fifth human death in the last seven months in the Pench buffer area, and the ninth in the last four years. Two deaths were also reported in territorial forests, which have overlapping boundaries with Pench.
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Mon14 Oct. 2024
Fed up of repeated tiger attacks in Ramtek taluka in the last few months, a group of anguished villagers launched an attack on forest staff and injured five forest guards seriously on Tuesday late night. This incident was an aftermath of a fatal tiger attack on a woman Nita Buddhu Kumbhare.
Kumbhare, a resident of Zinjeria village, lost her life in the tiger attack when she was working on agricultural land situated near the forest. The incident took place in Paoni UC Range of Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR). After getting the information, Forest Department officials and staff rushed to the spot. However, the irked villagers attacked the forest team. In the attack, forest guards sustained serious and minor injuries. Local police were called to control the situation.
The agitating villagers damaged two Forest Department vehicles at the spot. In light of the local residents’ outrage, a meeting was held with the villagers to address their concerns in the wee hours of Wednesday. Superintendent of Police, Nagpur (Rural), the Deputy Director of Pench Tiger Reserve, the Sub-Divisional Officer of Ramtek, and the Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Ramtek and Saoner attended the meeting. The officials listened to the villagers’ demands and ensured to resolve them.
The Forest Department has provided an immediate relief of Rs 5 lakh to the family of the deceased and started the process of providing the remaining compensation. Forest Department personnel, along with the Primary Response Team (PRT), are patrolling the area day and night to prevent repeat of the unfortunate incidents.
There is prima facie evidence that the tiger killed the woman in the same forest area where two such incidents took place earlier. As an immediate measure, the Forest Department has started putting efforts to capture the tiger. A committee has been formed as per the guidelines of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The Forest Department has installed camera traps and erected watchtowers at various locations. All villagers have been instructed to take precautions.
Considering the tense situation, Nagpur SP Harssh Poddar, Pench Deputy Director Prabhu Nath Shukla, Sub-Divisional Officer Ramtek, and Parseoni SDPO held a meeting with the villagers about their problems and took note of their demands.
The Forest Department has released immediate assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the victim’s family. The process to release the remaining compensation has been initiated. In Maharashtra, a victim’s family gets Rs 25 lakh compensation, the highest in the country, in case of death due to wild animal attacks.
