Farmers demand immediate steps to tackle menace

BANDIPORA: A wave of fear and distress has gripped the town of Hajin in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district as wild boars continue to wreak havoc, leaving residents and farmers in a state of shock.
On Tuesday, a 65-year-old woman, Sarwa Begum, wife of Hajin resident Ghulam Hassan Wani, became the latest victim of a wild boar attack.
Eyewitnesses recounted how the boar emerged in the orchard fields and aggressively targeted the woman, leaving her injured. After receiving initial treatment at CHC Hajin, she was referred to JVC for further medical attention.
This incident comes just days after a 56-year-old man was also injured in a similar attack, underscoring the escalating threat posed by wild boars in the area.
Meanwhile, the wild boars have unleashed chaos in the Hajin, leaving residents reeling in shock.
Their latest rampage has targeted rice nursery beds, dealing a severe blow to the agricultural community in the area.
The locals said that the increasing population of wild boars in Hajin is creating problems for the farmers in the area. They said the animals destroy the crops in the fields causing heavy losses.
Farmers, who depend on these nursery beds to plant paddy crops, are facing an unprecedented challenge this year as many rice nursery beds were damaged in the area.
They said the relentless onslaught of the wild boars may render it impossible for farmers to carry out their usual agricultural practices this year due to extensive damage to the nursery beds. The damage inflicted by the boars cuts deep through the heart of the town’s agricultural sector, they said.
Sajad Ahmad, a farmer, said the wild boars are damaging crops including paddy and vegetables, besides vegetables. He said if immediate steps are not taken immediately, the losses would be very high in future.
Expressing their dismay and frustration, farmers have called upon the wildlife department and administration to intervene swiftly and effectively to address this pressing issue before further damage is done to livelihoods in the area.
They warned that failure to do so could lead to irreparable damage to the town’s agricultural sector and livelihoods of its residents.

GOWHAR MAQBOOL