Panaji: The state government has delegated powers to the deputy conservator of forest to issue conditional permission to kill wild boars or wild pigs, which pose a threat to human life, and have been damaging standing crops.

Additional principal chief conservator of forest and chief wildlife warden Santosh Kumar said in a notification issued on November 17 that with the prior approval of the government he has delegated the “powers and duties under clause (b) of sub-section of (1) of the Wildlife (Protections) Act, 1972 exclusively in relation to the wild animal namely wild pig as specified at serial number 19 of the Schedule III of the said act to the Deputy Conservator of Forests, North and South Goa division”.

The deputy conservator of forests has been granted powers to issue conditional permission to kill wild pigs/boars which have become dangerous to human life and property, and have been damaging agriculture and horticulture crops on private cultivated lands only and not in any protected areas, reserve and un-classed forests.

There have been complaints from farmers, particularly from the talukas of Sattari, Sanguem, Quepem and Canacona, that standing crops are

damaged by the particular animals, which also pose a danger to human life. It is pertinent to note that in July this year Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had said that he held a comprehensive review meeting with officials from the forest department over declaring the wild boars as vermin.

The government set in motion the process to declare these menacing animals as vermin, he had said.

The Goa State Wildlife Board has already recommended to the National Wildlife Board to proclaim them as vermin.

The menace posed by the wild boars, peacocks and bison to the farmers was also discussed on the floor of the state legislative assembly on several occasions.