Will resign if it leads to leopard’s capture, says K’taka min

Forest minister Umesh Katti on Monday said he is willing to resign if it leads to the capture of an elusive leopard that has been on the loose for nearly a month in Belagavi, about 500 km from Bengaluru.

Forest minister Umesh Katti on Monday said he is willing to resign if it leads to the capture of an elusive leopard that has been on the loose for weeks in Belagavi, about 500 km from Bengaluru.

Forest minister Umesh Katti (Agencies)

“I’ll resign from my ministry if the leopard is caught over my resignation,” Katti said.

His statements come even as the forest and police departments continue their search for the leopard that had attacked a construction labourer near Jadhav Nagar in Belagavi on August 5 and again spotted on August 22 in Golf Course area.

People in the district have abandoned their cars and are travelling in government buses as the leopard continues to strike fear in the residents of the border district.

The Hanuman nagar region, an up-market neighbourhood in the district and just two km from the Centre have abandoned their cars.

“I felt unsafe travelling alone in my car via Hanuman Nagar double road, I travel in Sahyadri Nagar-CBT bus by paying just ₹10, alight near hotel Milan and take my car to my work,” Satish Patil, a local resident, said.

He added not only he but also many people residing in Sahyadri Nagar, Kuvempu Nagar, Hanuman Nagar travelling in the city bus for their safety.

“As a bus is a big sized vehicle, there was little chance of attack on it by the leopard,” he added.

The streets wore a deserted look as people remained indoors and most schools near Golf Course are now sealed with authorities going out in large numbers to capture the leopard.

Most residents have stopped using their two-wheelers.

Most of the auto-rickshaws stopped carrying people to this area. Earlier, auto rickshaws used to carry passengers to the 2 km distance Hanuman Nagar region on “seat sharing” method, locally called ‘Vadaap,’ for ₹20 per seat now raised the fare to ₹40 to ₹50 per seat. If a passenger wants to take a special trip, they have to pay ₹300, locals said.

Jai Bhim auto-rickshaw driver and owners’ association president Basavaraj Avarolli denied that drivers are collecting exorbitant fares from passengers.

“It is not good to exploit people in such times. The association will instruct officials not to collect additional fare,” he added.

But drivers feel differently. “Who will rescue drivers if they are attacked by the animal?” asked one driver.

“The government gives a nominal sum of money if injured or died with the attack of the animal, what about surviving members of a driver’s family?” said another driver.