MARGAO: Ramesh Tawadkar has done it again. Goa’s Agriculture Minister, in his latest gaffe, says he is assessing the national bird – the peacock – to see if it can be declared as vermin (nuisance ‘animal’) along with Goa’s state animal, the gaur.
Environmentalists have reacted sharply to the move and have warned that it will boomerang on the people. They have also blamed the government for destroying the habitat of the animals and have warned of a backlash if the ecosystem is disturbed.
Addressing the media, Agriculture Minister Ramesh Tawadkar said that the Forest Department has been asked to assess the nuisance animals in Goa’s wildlife. Wild boar (raan dukor), monkey (khetim), gaur (gawo redo), peacock (morr) and some more animals are being assessed under this category of wild animals.
The government will go through the assessment report and attempt to convert it into an Act. There is a National Bird and a State Animal in the list of the assessed animals. “While doing assessment the points like complaints which have been filed till date by agriculturists and people will be taken into consideration and the opinion of the Forest Department officials will be sought,” Tawadkar said.
“After considering the complaints of agriculturists which we have got a lot, the government and the related department will go ahead with the procedures,” he added.
The minister said the process was initiated after there were recommendations from farmers to declare these nuisance animals.
However, animal lovers and environment activists have reacted sharply to this and have claimed that if these animals are declared a nuisance it will have a long term and negative impact on human lives of Goa.
Amrut Singh, animal lover and environmentalist said, “Section 51 (a) in the Constitution of India made it a duty of Forest Department to protect the animals and if what Tawadkar says becomes a reality then the department will have to shut down as they have failed to do their duty,” he said.
“The Forest department has allowed massive deforestation in the past and also allowed people to go into forests and plant banana and pineapple farms by clearing forests and destroying the habitat of these animals. This is against the ecosystem and will have a bad effect on humans,” warned Singh.
“This will boomerang on the people and the environment will be damaged to an extent which will be irreparable in the future,” he added.
Rajendra Kerkar, an environmentalist said, “The classification of these animals is not as easy as it looks. There will be some other animals in the future which will trouble agriculture and the people. Will they also be classified as a nuisance?” questioned Kerker. “These moves of dislodging animals will bring trouble to those animals and the people too,” he added.
“Rather than planning on terming them nuisance animals, the government should think of a proper scientific and a long term plan of reviving the habitat of the animals,” Kerkar suggested.
Several civil society members have also expressed surprise over this stand of the government.
