Maha mulls raising compensation to kin of tiger attack victims

The Maharashtra government Wednesday announced in the Legislative Assembly that it was contemplating to increase to Rs 15 lakh the financial aid to the kin of those killed by tigers.

Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar made the announcement while replying to a debate on the issue of killing of tigress Avni in the Lower House raised through a calling attention notice.

Presently the financial compensation is Rs 10 lakh, he said.

"Similarly, the compensation for killing of cattle by a tiger is being proposed to be raised from Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000," he added.

Avni, who was believed to have turned man-eater and killed 13 people in the last two years in Yavatmal district's Pandharkawda area, was shot dead in Borati forest there earlier this month.

The killing of T1, as the tigress was officially known, led to outrage among animal lovers and wildlife organisations.

NCP leader Jayant Patil said it is being alleged that the tigress was killed to facilitate setting up of a cement factory of Reliance company there.

However, Mungantiwar rejected the charge saying, "The project was sanctioned in 2012 when Congress-NCP ruled the state and Congress-led UPA government was at the Centre. The place where Avni was killed is 60-kms away from the cement factory site."