Need efforts to protect blackbuck

Raj Sadosh

Efforts to protect various species in the open wildlife sanctuary spread over an area of about 18,650 hectares in the constituency have remained on paper only. The sanctuary comprises farmlands of 13 Bishnoi villages. Herds of blackbucks, the indigenous antelope, with its distinctive twisted horns, can be found wandering through the villages. The sanctuary is also considered home to blue bulls.

Past trend

The Congress registered victories in 1977, 1980, 1985, 1992, 2002 and 2017. On the other hand, SAD candidates won in 1997, 2007 and 2012. In the last elections in 2017, Congress’ Nathu Ram Bishnoi emerged winner.

Electorate strength

Total voters - 1,79,449

Male - 96,688

Female - 82,759

Third gender - 2

Locals’ key demands

• Protection of blackbucks
• Action on use of barbed wire
• New veterinary hospital
• Canal water in tail-end villages

In 2019, eight blackbucks reportedly died after being entangled in barbed wires while the animals were running away from stray dogs. Other unnatural reasons for deaths of blackbucks include road accidents and due to fall into water storage tanks and concrete drains.

The local administration keeps on banning sale and use of barbed wire around fields, but to no avail. The injured animals were treated at gaushalas in Sukhchain and Daulatpura village.

Political heavyweights’ attitude towards the protected species can be gauged from the report that the statue of Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Award winner Bishnoi Sabha national president Sant Kumar Bishnoi has been vandalised three times but none of the miscreants was held. Former minister Maneka Gandhi, who had unveiled the statue here, has offered to raise a state-of-the-art veterinary hospital in the sanctuary area but the state govt has not so far provided land for the same.

Much sought re-construction of sub-canals to make water available at the tail-end villages has recently been taken up.

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