Jaipur, Jan. 30 -- The Rajasthan government announced a dedicated wildlife helpline (1926) and a Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) for an Emergency Predator Protocol during Thursday's session of the state Legislative Assembly, following concerns over frequent leopard movements in Jaipur's residential areas. The issue was raised during Question Hour by BJP MLA from Malviya Nagar, Kalicharan Saraf, who sought details on steps taken to prevent leopards from entering densely populated areas of Jaipur. Saraf noted that residents typically inform the police control room upon spotting a leopard, from where the information reaches the Forest Department. He said this process often takes one to one-and-a-half hours, heightening the risk of human-leopard conflict. Raising public safety concerns, Saraf asked if the government was considering a direct helpline for reporting wildlife movements to ensure quicker responses and cut delays. Replying for the government, forest minister Sanjay Sharma told the House that the Forest Department is launching a 24x7 wildlife helpline number - 1926 - for reporting movements, including leopards, in urban and rural areas. He said the helpline is under trial and likely to be formally launched by February. The minister added that the dedicated helpline would allow citizens to alert the Forest Department directly, enabling faster deployment of response teams and better coordination in wildlife emergencies. During the discussion, Kalicharan Saraf raised a supplementary question on whether Rajasthan plans to adopt an Emergency Predator Protocol like Maharashtra's. He explained that under the Maharashtra model, a five-kilometre radius around the sighting is sealed immediately, restricting public movement and preventing human-wildlife encounters. Forest minister Sanjay Sharma welcomed the suggestion as constructive. He said the government would study the Maharashtra protocol in detail and prepare a state-specific SOP for handling wildlife movements in urban areas....