BHOPAL: On the fourth day of the ongoing budget session, members of the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha expressed concern over the rising threat of nilgais (blue bulls) to the safety of agriculture as well as human lives.Concurring with the concerns raised by the opposition Congress as well as ruling BJP members over the issue, the Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar asked the state government to make a systematic plan after consulting experts. “If the nilgais continue to increase too much, then the state may have to face more problems,” the Speaker said.Assuring the Speaker of appropriate action on the issue, the state’s parliamentary affairs minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said, “I’ll draw the attention of the MP CM to your suggestion and we will definitely take effective steps on the issue.”The issue was raised by opposition Congress legislator Vipin Jain during the Question Hour. Jain represents the Mandsaur seat of western MP – which is part of the region where the menace of nilgais is perhaps the highest.“The biggest problem in my district pertains to nilgais, whose numbers are increasing rapidly. In groups of 30-40, 50-60, they enter the farmers’ fields and destroy standing crops. Apart from it they are also causing road accidents, due to which human lives are getting lost. The state’s revenue minister says that compensation is being provided to farmers who are losing their crops due to the nilgais. As per the existing rule if there is 25% percent or more loss to crops, then only compensation will be given. But in my entire Mandsaur district, just one farmer has received compensation between 2014 and 2023 and the compensation sum was Rs 9000 only,” said Jain.“The nilgai numbers have now reached lakhs and farmers are in deep trouble due to these animals every day. Farmers should be given money to put up fences, so that they can do wire fencing around their fields,” he added.Responding to the Congress MLA’s concerns, the state’s revenue minister Karan Singh Verma said, “Rs 67,716 has been paid as compensation in ten cases. The forest department has put up sign boards alerting the presence of wild animals on the roadside. For further prevention, where there is forest department land in MP, speed breakers too have been installed. We will raise the issue with the forest department about what other measures can be taken for prevention.”
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