The Madhya Pradesh High Court recently disposed of a PIL on the entry of wild animals, such as wild boar, blackbucks, into the agricultural fields of petitioners and destroying their crops.
The PIL has been filed by Surendra Singh Thakur and others. By order dated 20.12.2012, the Commissioner was also appointed to visit the area and to submit the report with regard to the extent and type of fencing that was necessary for protecting entry of such animals in the agricultural fields.
The Commissioner submitted the report dated 21.01.2013 and concluded that fencing is not the solution for stopping blackbucks from entering the fields of the farmers. An alternative is to curb the blackbuck menace in the affected area is to establish a suitably fenced (chain-linked wire mesh fencing more than 8 ft. tall) sanctuary/park in the adjoining open available area where these animals can be shifted/ relocated.
Apart from the above, before this is done, a feasibility study by an expert body needs to be done to evolve techniques to mass capture, translocate the rehabilitate the blackbucks without causing harm to their existence. The said report was submitted in January 2013. Thereafter, the matter has remained pending with the High Court.
The Jabalpur Division Bench of Chief Justice Mohammad Rafiq and Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla, considering the nature of grievance of the petitioner, deemed it appropriate to dispose of the writ petition with a direction to the petitioner to submit a representation before the Principal Secretary, Forest Department, Vallabh Bhawan, Bhopal within a period of 15 days from today. “The said authority shall consider and decide the representation of the petitioner within a period of three months from the date of submission of the representation, in accordance with law,” the order reads.