Himachal farmers to receive permits to kill wild animals damaging their crops

BARAGAON - Farmers of Himachal Pradesh will soon receive permits to kill wild animals that damage their crops and affect the yield.

In a few areas of the state, the farmers have also left their fields barren, as monkeys and other animals are destroying their cultivation.

Primarily the permission to kill monkeys and blue bulls will be given to cultivators in Una, Kangra and Sirmour Districts of the state.

However, the affected farmers in other districts of the state are also demanding to be allowed to kill monkeys responsible for crop destruction.

“All the villages near Shimla should get this permission because these animals are harming the fields. They destroy any crop, which we grow. This is the only mode of livelihood of people here. We should get the permission to kill them if necessary,” said Joginder Sharma, a farmer from Baragaon.

According to the state’s forest department, the permission to kill wild animals has been granted.

The state Minister of Forests, J P Nadda, said the decision has been made under the Wildlife Act of India.

“This conflict is going to carry on. Animal lovers will always love animals but at the same time humans also have to exist and the development part has also to be taken care of. But what government has done is whoever needs a permit, we give them and that is not regional based. That is on the demands of the farmers,” said Nadda.

Himachal Pradesh Government is also concentrating on opening more sterilization centres for animals to check the numbers of monkeys and blue bulls.

As per an estimate, there are over 400,000 monkeys and thousands of wild blue bulls in Himachal Pradesh. (ANI)