In a meeting between Sanjay Gandhi National Park and civic officials on Friday, the forest department asked their the civic bodies to construct public toilets on the periphery of the park so that leopard attack cases can be reduced. In two of the last three incidents, people were attacked while they were answering nature’s call on the boundary of the forest.
“We had a workshop on Friday wherein civic officials from BMC, Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation and Thane Municipal Corporation were invited. The meeting was to discuss on mitigation measures to avoid man-animal conflict and the role of civic authorities for the same,” said Sunil Limaye, director of SGNP and chief conservator of forest.
If not toilet blocks, then the forest authorities requested to have mobile toilets at the slum colonies and tribal hamlets, so that people are not forced to defecate in the open.
The civic bodies have agreed in-principle to provide public conveniences for the locals residing on the periphery of the
forest along with clearing the garbage on a regular basis so that leopards do not get attracted to scavengers like stray dogs and pigs.
On July 15, seven year old Sanjana Thorat from a slum colony in Mulund and on November 2, Sita Nevsha Pange
from Moroshi Pada near Powai were killed while they have ventured into the forest to answer nature’s call.