Wolves can wait, it’s time to talk about compensation

BETANOTI : Sheep-eater wolves or other such creatures on the prowl can wait for more time for a showdown with the locals. The issue of serious discussion these days at this laid-back village is about “compensation.” Questions like “how much money we can hope to get from the government for the loss of sheep,” are prominently heard as this Orissa Post correspondent visited the village the other day for an on-the-spot study of the existing situation there.
The village was in the news after local resident Dilip Mohanta lost his four sheep – two to the carnivores and two in an escape from the pen. After this, the villagers started taking additional security measures for their livestock. Dilip quickly secured his livestock pen by repairing its door, which earlier had a big gap, which helped in the entry of the predator(s).
However, dust seems to have settled down on the village, as no more of the mysterious sheep killings is taking place in recent days. Amid the lull that has set in, discussions centre on what about those who lost their sheep can hope to get from the government and what are the related provisions thereof.
Around 10 to 15 people thronged the house of Chandramani Mohanta as this correspondent engaged her in a conversation over the sheep killings and the measures that have been taken to protect the livestock in the village. Many villagers started streaming in, mistaking the scribe for a government officer arriving at the village to distribute compensation to the farmers – who lost sheep to the mysterious killer. Almost everyone had an ordeal to narrate about their livestock loss, and wanted to know how much compensation could be coming in for them.
Sexagenarian Chandramani asked, “How much will I get if I lose any of my livestock? You media people come here, record things, write things and make money out of our sufferings, but no one is there to enlighten us on laws regarding compensation, or how we can get it.” She was not interested in other discussions, and suddenly left the scene, as no satisfactory reply could be given to her. She regretted having engaged the scribe in a discussion. “If I knew you were from the media, I would not have talked to you. I thought you are an official. How will it benefit us if we talk to you?”
Dilip’s brother Hemanta took this scribe to the residence of Sarat Mohanta. Sarat complained that he lost a goat after it got an injection from the local veterinarian. His wife said, “We took our goat for treatment as we felt it was having some disease, but after the veterinary doctor gave an injection and we brought the goat back from the doctor, it breathed its last here.” Sarat says he also lost another goat as it escaped from the pen. When villagers persisted about the compensation details, this correspondent gently told them that as far as he knew, there was no provision for compensation in the event of a loss of sheep. Villagers then raised another question. “But, how much we get if it’s a goat?”
The Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO) has urged the state forest and environment minister to undertake a review of the compensation rules for loss of sheep, goats and other livestock. At present, rules are provided for payment of compensation in the event of death of bullocks and cows. The forest
department refused to pay compensation for the death of sheep in the absence of such a provision in the Wildlife Protection Rules. Amendments are needed in the rules, WSO has proposed. Hemanta confirmed that villagers lose their livestock often over one or the other reason. One reason is the unsecured pen. Livestock farmers, he said, have to be careful about most-basic things while living in a hamlet inside the forest.
Hemanta is a B.Ed student. He spoke of the craze for compensation. “Everybody sees this as an opportunity to explore, like a free-hit-ball in a game of cricket. If something comes their way, why leave it? Everybody is trying to score the maximum runs here.”
Hemanta noted that even a compensation is just a temporary relief. Farmers would need to understand the basic rules of upkeep of their livestock. He decried the violent way the carnivores captured in Niali were treated.

Siddhant Giri, OP