Bahraich, Sep 8 (PTI) Amid rising incidents of human-wildlife conflict, around 1,500 street lights are being installed in villages bordering the Katarniaghat Wildlife Division in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich to improve safety in areas frequented by wild animals, officials said on Tuesday.
The initiative is being undertaken with corporate social responsibility (CSR) support from Signify Innovations India Limited (Philips India), with Bharat Cares providing implementation support, they said.
Divisional Forest Officer Apoorv Dixit said villages and locations across all seven ranges of the division are being prioritised based on the frequency of wildlife movement and human-wildlife conflict incidents.
The lights are being installed at village entry points, major roads and other vulnerable locations adjoining the forest boundary, he said.
The initiative assumes significance following recent leopard attacks in the Katarniaghat area, which has also been affected by floods, forcing wildlife to move towards human habitations, Dixit said.
“The Forest Department is committed to ensuring the safety of people from wildlife and also facilitating the return of animals to their natural habitat,” he said.
On September 1, a 28-year-old man was killed in a leopard attack in Mehboob Nagar village in the Kakraha range, according to officials. The leopard involved in the incident was captured in a cage the following day, and street lights were installed in the village soon after.
In another incident on Monday night, nine-year-old Rajveer was attacked by a leopard around 9 pm when he went to a handpump along the roadside to fetch water in Anand Nagar village under the Katarniaghat range.
The boy’s house is located behind sugarcane fields, from where the leopard emerged and attacked him, officials said. Rajveer sustained serious injuries and died while his family and villagers were taking him to a community health centre, they said.
Cages have been placed near the site of Monday night’s attack as efforts are underway to capture the leopard, officials said.
Officials said adequate lighting in villages can help reduce the possibility of human-wildlife encounters. Nocturnal animals such as leopards generally avoid brightly lit areas, while better visibility enables residents to spot wildlife from a distance and take precautionary measures.
The Forest Department has advised villagers to avoid venturing out alone at night or early morning, keep children under supervision and immediately inform forest officials if a leopard is sighted instead of surrounding or provoking it.
The project, titled “Illuminating the Forest Villages of Katarniaghat, Uttar Pradesh”, is being funded by Signify Innovations India Limited and implemented with support from Bharat Cares, officials said. PTI COR KIS NB NB
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.