BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Government is proposing a series of changes in Wildlife Protection Act which includes elimination of police inquiry report in human injury or casualty caused by wild animals.
While the man-animal conflict scenario is grim in the State, the ex gratia compensation payment system gets inordinately delayed because the Wildlife (Protection) (Orissa) Rules, 2006 mandates an inquiry report from the local police station.
Since the Centre has sought proposals from States, Chief Wildlife Warden Sandeep Tripathi said, Odisha is looking to submit the proposal seeking to do away with the clause.The Forest and Environment Department has already formed a panel which is finalising the proposals to be submitted to Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change for amendment to the Act.The provision, actually, is bizarre considering the fact the forest officials are equipped to submit the same report. Yet, the rules say that if the incident of injury or death occurs inside a reserve forest, the officer-in-charge must conduct an inquiry and submit a report to the Divisional Forest Officer within seven days.
In case the mishap takes place in a sanctuary or national park, the report has to be submitted to the Wildlife Divisional Officer or Conservator of Forests. Given the pre-occupation of police, submission of such inquiry reports gets delayed which, in effect, delays the payment of compensation.“If one looks at the ground scenario, there is no need for police to submit an inquiry report in case of wild animals hurting or killing a human being. Since the local forest officer is equipped to furnish such an inquiry report, the department is proposing to do away the role of police,” the Chief Wildlife Warden said.
Between 2012-13 and 2016-17, the Wildlife Wing paid over `5.5 crore towards ex gratia. However, it is the delay in payment why the Government wants the existing norms changed.“What is the point paying the compassionate amount a year after the incident because it serves no purpose? We are already trying to pay 20 per cent in the first 24 hours by placing a revolving fund at the disposal of the DFOs,” says Tripathi adding that if the police report clause can be removed, it would expedite the process.
The State Government, last year, hiked the compensation for the kin of a deceased to `4 lakh because large scale depredation by wild animals, mostly elephants, led to serious resentment among people and snowballed into law and order situation.