Wild Animal Attack
Victims to get govt cash help
The government will pay compensation for people killed or crippled in attacks by tigers, elephants or other wild animals.
And any one found guilty of deliberate killing of wildlife will be jailed for up to 12 years.
The cabinet at its weekly meeting yesterday approved the “Policy to compensate for loss of people’s lives and property due to wildlife attacks, 2010 ” that contained these provisions. The prime minister chaired the meeting.
The policy that comes into force immediately provides for payment of Tk 1 lakh to the family of a person killed in an attack by tiger, elephant or other wildlife.
Besides, Tk 50,000 will be paid to a person crippled in similar attacks, and Tk 25,000 to one who incurred loss of property or crops caused by elephants, PM’s press secretary Abul Kalam Azad told journalists after the meeting.
Production of harmful veterinary medicine diclofenac sodium has been banned under the new policy to save the critically endangered species–vultures– and in the interest of public health.
Vultures have almost vanished from the country due to various reasons. Their number was around 50,000 several years back, and it has now come down to only 2,000, according to a forest department estimate.
Diclofenac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that has been in human use for pain and inflammation for decades, Wikipedia says.
Under the new policy, the ban on production of the drug is effective immediately, and the time limit for sale of the already marketed drug is six months.
Veterinary use of diclofenac in Bangladesh has increased over the past one decade, and this has reportedly led to a sharp decline in the vulture population in the country.
The cabinet meeting also approved enacting two laws — Christian Religion Welfare Trust (Amendment) Act, 2010, and Film Society Registration Act. The Welfare Trust’s initial fund will be Tk 5 crore, Azad said.
