Kurukshetra villagers want area sanitised of crocs

Vishal Joshi

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A sub-adult crocodile was rescued by a villager near Dabkheri village in Kurukshetra last week. The four-feet reptile was spotted in the Narwana branch of the Bhakra canal along the Kurukshetra-Pehowa road. Pargat Singh, a diver, took the initiative to get it out of the canal.

Official sources say the rescued wildlife has been sent to the Crocodile Breeding Centre at Bhor Saidan village in Kurukshetra district. But the alarmed villagers want the entire area to be made crocodile free.

They say it is not for the first time that a crocodile has been spotted in the area. According to district officials, in the last one decade more than 12 crocodiles had been rescued from Mukimpura, Dabkheri and Dabkoli villages located in the vicinity of the breeding centre at Bhor Saidan village, the only such facility in north India. 

Though the area is not a natural habitat of crocodiles, the wildlife authorities believe that more crocodiles may be on the loose. Randhir Singh, a resident of Dabkheri village, says in the past crocodiles had been rescued from the canal, ponds and siphons of adjoining villages. Villagers panicked every time a reptile was spotted. 

Gurdyal Singh Sunheri, chairperson of Zila Parishad, Kurukshetra, says the state Wildlife Department should scan the entire area to ascertain the presence of crocodiles. “Sighting of a crocodile near habitats has become a common occurrence. Though no instance has been reported where a reptile has attacked a human being or cattle, the Wildlife Department should survey the entire area for the sake of safety,” says Sunheri.

It is believed that a mahant of the Bhomeshwar Temple, located on the Kurukshetra-Pehowa road, had brought crocodiles in 1930. Later in 1980, the temple land was handed over to the state government for setting up a crocodile breeding centre.

However, wildlife officials deny that rescued crocodiles were from the well-guarded breeding centre. "About 30 years ago, Kurukshetra, including the Bhor Saidan breeding centre area, witnessed floods and a few crocodiles were swept away. The Saraswati drain near the centre is believed to have become a natural habitat of displaced reptiles, the population of which has grown over the years," says a wildlife official.

Deputy Commissioner SS Phulia says he will take up the matter with the Wildlife Department for the safety of people and the wildlife.