District planning committee sanctions Rs20.35 crore to combat human-leopard conflict

Nashik : The Nashik District Planning Committee (DPC) has sanctioned Rs20.35 crore to the forest department to address human-wildlife conflict. The funds will help in modernising rescue operations and ensuring safety of citizens and livestock across the district, officials said.The conflict between humans and leopards in Nashik has reached a critical point in recent months, with frequent attacks reported in both rural and peri-urban pockets. To counter this, district collector Ayush Prasad announced that the funds, reallocated from the 2025–26 District Annual Plan, will be utilised for a comprehensive technological and infrastructural upgrade."The funds will be made available for advanced surveillance by way of deployment of AI-enabled cameras, drones, and GPS-linked camera traps to track leopard movements in real-time," said Ayush Prasad, the district collector.The other areas that funds will benefit are in strengthening Rapid Response Teams (RRT), with high-tech tranquilising guns, specialised nets, and heavy-duty cages and Support Systems - construction of dedicated rescue centers, base camps, and centralised control rooms for 24/7 monitoring."The safety of our citizens is paramount. With this Rs20 crore funds, we are equipping our forest officials with the best possible tools, from AI monitoring to specialised medical supplies, to ensure a swift and logical conclusion to these encounters," stated collector Prasad.As Nashik grapples with this environmental challenge, this investment marks the district's most significant step toward a technology-driven mitigation strategy, aimed at fostering a safer coexistence between the growing leopard population and local communities.Recently, an rgency grant of Rs50 lakh from the Disaster Management Fund, was used to procure 10 specialised vehicles for transporting leopard cages and a 11th rescue vehicle—donated via the CSR initiative was recently handed over to the forest department.