VALPOI: Upping the ante for the demand to declare wild animals as vermin, farmers from Sattari Taluka have decided to hold a series of meetings starting at Nagargao from September 2. Farmers have also decided to move the High Court of Bombay in Goa to seek relief.
The farmers have demanded that wild animals like bison, wild boars and monkeys be declared as vermin.
Affected farmers from Sattari held a special meeting in Bhirondem where they resolved to file a petition in the High court if the government fails to compensate them before the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
Many farmers, including Bhirondem Sarpanch Nitin Shivdekar, Panch Udaysing Rane, convener of Sattari farmers organisation Ashok Joshi, Manikarao Rane, Prashant Desai and Vishwesh Prabhu, were present at the meeting.
With the forest cover shrinking, the human-animal conflict has increased of late. Besides destroying crops, there are cases in which wild animals have attacked human beings. In one case, a woman venturing into a farm was gored to death by a bison.
Rajesh Rane said that the frequency of animals raiding farms have forced farmers in Sattari to kick start a campaign in which meetings will be held in every panchayat area and farmers from respective areas will be requested to support the protests.
