Haridwar, Dec. 23 -- A political slugfest kicked up over the growing incidents of human-wildlife conflicts, with opposition parties accusing the state government of failing to provide effective relief to people affected by it. The main opposition Congress on Monday alleged misgovernance and a lackadaisical approach by the Pushkar Singh Dhami-led government in dealing with the issue, which it said has emerged as a serious concern across both hill and plain districts of the state. Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Ganesh Godiyal said incidents of wildlife attacks are occurring on a daily basis in both Garhwal and Kumaon divisions, leaving people fearful and affecting their livelihoods. "People are being killed or getting injured, and thousands are forced to live under constant fear of wild animals. Agriculture, animal husbandry and even the education of children have been severely affected," Godiyal said. He alleged that while chief minister Dhami and forest minister Subodh Uniyal have been highlighting an increase in compensation amounts, there has been little focus on long-term and sustainable measures to provide relief from the wildlife menace. "When school-going children are being escorted in forest department vehicles, one can easily gauge the gravity of the threat prevailing in the state," he added. Godiyal said the Congress has been reaching out to affected people and recently staged a sit-in protest outside the Pauri Garhwal district collectorate, in which hundreds of residents participated. "This reflects the anguish of the people and the seriousness of the issue. Human-wildlife conflict has become a major social problem, and the government must take concrete steps to rein it in," he said. Former chief minister and Union minister Harish Rawat also expressed concern over the escalating conflict, saying the problem has compounded existing challenges such as unemployment, migration, rising crime, particularly against women, corruption, examination paper leaks and inadequate healthcare facilities. "The population of wild animals such as elephants, leopards, tigers, bears, monkeys and wild pigs has increased substantially in Uttarakhand and needs to be regulated," Rawat said. He suggested that instead of relying solely on sterilisation centres, the government should explore relocating animals to states where their population is lower, without compromising wildlife conservation policies. Samajwadi Party (SP) national secretary Satya Narayan Sachan also blamed the state government for failing to act in time, claiming that scores of incidents of wildlife attacks on humans have taken place in Uttarakhand this year alone. "Wildlife attacks have risen sharply, yet the chief minister convened a meeting on the issue only last weekend. Was the government and forest department sleeping for months, especially after the monsoon?" Sachan asked, adding that his party would raise the issue among the public to build awareness and pressure the government to act. Responding to the allegations, forest minister Subodh Uniyal termed the opposition's criticism as biased and appealed for cooperation instead of what he called a blame game. He said the forest department has already initiated several measures to curb human-wildlife conflict. "Additional patrolling is being carried out in sensitive areas, dangerous leopards have been eliminated in Pauri Garhwal, and forest personnel are escorting school and anganwadi-going children. Drone surveillance, trap cameras and cages are being deployed, while fox lights and Animal Intrusion Detection and Repellent (ANIDER) systems are being procured," Uniyal said. He added that sterilisation centres will soon be set up in all 13 districts, solar fencing will be installed in vulnerable areas to prevent animal intrusion into residential and agricultural zones, and climate change and global warming have also contributed to the aggravation of human-wildlife conflict in the state....