19 January,2017 08:13 AM IST | | Ranjeet Jadhav
Residents still continue to risk a man-animal conflict, as some of them have to walk through a dense forest patch to get to the toilets at nights; the path also leads to a BEST bus stop
The solar lights on the path are broken and the locals want lights to be installed immediately
The public toilets constructed at Aarey Milk Colony by Member of Parliament Sachin Tendulkar are helping the tribals staying there, but the lack of street lights in the Mataipada area (which has one of the toilets), has increased the chances of a man-animal conflict. In the past two, three weeks, there have been incidents of increased leopard sightings. This is the same location where a leopard was trapped few weeks back. The locals want lights installed there at the earliest.
Some locals use torches while walking the path at night
The narrow path to the toilet at Mataipada also leads to Adarsh Nagar, where there is a BEST bus stop. But the path is through a forest patch, which does not have any street lights.
"The toilets constructed by Tendulkar are proving very helpful to us, but in many padas the solar streetlights are not working. In the Mataipada area where a leopard was trapped few weeks ago, there has been an increase in leopard sightings and in order to prevent any man-animal conflict we want the authorities to install street lights or floodlights on an urgent basis," said a tribal, Ankush Bhoir.
The Mataipada and adjacent Khambyachapada in Aarey have a population of more than 500 people and they have to use the 300 odd-metres forest patch in order to take a bus from Adarsh Nagar. Two-three years back few solar operated streetlights were installed there, but yesterday when mid-day visited the pada, there were just poles, no lights.
In the evenings the villagers and children have to completely depend on torchlight while passing the forest patch. Locals said that the financial condition of many tribals is not good and some have to use the path without torches, risking their lives.
In the past 10 days there have been two incidents where the locals had a close encounter with leopards. The Mumbai territorial range of the Thane Forest Department has been informed about the same, after which patrolling has been increased in the area.
More patrolling
Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), Thane (Territorial), Sunil Limaye said, "Our rescue team has been patrolling in the area, and we have also been spreading awareness to avoid man-animal conflict. From past one week we have increased patrolling and our team visits the area even late in the night and interacts with the locals. We have also installed camera traps to monitor the activity of leopards."
Shiv Sena Corporator Jitendra Valvi said, "We have also been told by the locals that the sighting of leopards have increased in the area and we will see to it that temporary lights are immediately installed in the area."
With BMC elections just a month away, the tribals expect the local corporator, MLA and representatives from other political parties to help them by installing the streetlights or floodlights on immediate basis.
