Maneaters and wild beers are real threat to villagers in Uttarakhand, making several ghost villages. Bharatpur village of Pokhra is human less n a two woman grievously injured by a wild bear in Chouthan Patti today

We have been constantly reading in various news reports about three thousand villages of Uttarakhand going vacant , rather completely, due to the exodus of villagers to cities, towns and even metropolises with some villages becoming ghost villages with not a single person living there. The reasons behind this voluntary exodus was due to several reasons viz lack of job avenues, especially lack of health options, quality education to the children and above all, lack of decentralised development etc. As a result not only have wild animals like man eaters, wild bears, wild pigs, monkeys in abundance are making human population their prey entering villages and houses on roads near forests killing women, children and aged even youngsters the agricultural farming has also come to an end with wild bushes growing in fields compounded with wild animals destroying the agricultural produce in the remaining farming. Apart from all this, what is more worrisome these days is that villagers of several developmental blocks are being constrained to leave their villages and well constructed houses forever in view of the existing threat of man eaters ( Guldaars, leopards) killing domestic animals n humans. This is the real story of some villages of Pokhra Developmental block of Chawbattakhal assembly constituency represented by Uttarakhand minister and BJP heavy weight Satpal Maharaj. According to the latest news a village namely Bharatpur in Pokhra Block the villagers are constrained to leave it in view of man eater attacks not only on domestic cows, sheeps, chickens etc but also on human beings, with no one living here now. The villagers of this village are in constant threat from man eater attacks almost making the village a ghost village. There were hardly three families left here out of which two families who had come to live here during Covid times from Jaipur and built a cemented house had left it in fear of man eater attacks, leaving behind their well constructed cemented house. According to Mr. Sundriyal an old woman was brutally killed by a man eater in 2021 in Dabra village of Pokhra Block after she was dragged by a carnivore ( man eater) to the nearby jungle eating her face and throat, leaving her dead with her multilated body. The women are the most vulnerable lot in Uttarakhand hills who are the man eater victims as they are the ones going to farms to fetch fodder for domestic animals and working in fields. The forest department officials hardly comes to the villagers rescue as less cases are reported and the wild life forest department seems to be quite negligent say the villagers. The inhabitants of Bharatpur village were the most suffering lot with only two families left till the end also leaving it, finally, making it a ghost village. In addition to the man eater terror the wild beers have also created havoc in Uttarakhand. Just today in Patti Chouthan area a wild beer has attacked a woman Heera Devi wife of Hayat Singh, Kumari Rekha daughter of Govind Singh and one year old grand daughter of Heera Devi grievously injuring two of the victims. The incident took place at 12.30 in the afternoon when the two women with a year old infant were on their way heading for a ritual. While they were walking, all of a sudden the wild beer pounced on them with a bang. Thanks to 19 year old Rekha who was carrying with her a sickle ( daraanti), instead of losing her courage bravely attacked the wild beer with the sickle. The beer left the infant and attacked Rekha resulting in Heera Devi and the infant save their lives though Rekha was grievously injured. Meanwhile after much resistant the wild beer ran away in desperation leaving the two grievously injured. The injured Heera and, Rekha were given first aid medical treatment at Boongidhar, health centre and then referred to Srinagar Garhwal base hospital. Heera Devi got severe injuries on her head and right hand while Rekha received deep wounds on right hand and chest confronting the wild bear. Salutes to brave Rekha, who should be recommended for Rashtrapati bravery award by Uttarakhand government.