Crocodiles roam Dandeli streets, people can’t wash clothes

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Crocs are roaming on the streets of Dandeli town in Uttara Kannada district like never before leaving residents a terrified lot. The menace has spread to the town wards with people fearing that they will be attacked if they venture out on the roads.

Areas like Patel Nagar, Vinayak Nagar, Halmaddi and Eshwar Nagar, situated on the banks of River Kali in Dandeli Town are the worst affected. Here crocodiles come out for a stroll if you can call it that, in full public view! There have been attacks too with a crocodile targeting a boy in Vinayak Nagar while a youth was dragged into the river in Patel Nagar. The reptiles roam the streets like cattle or dogs in residential areas near Kogilabana and the Bus Depot.

People, fed up with the menace, have submitted memorandums to the town municipal authorities seeking safety measures. Forest officers on their part are advising residents to be extra cautious due to the increase in the croc population. Residents must not throw leftover non-vegetarian food and animal waste into the river as it would attract the reptiles, they warn.

People complain that the crocodile menace is even affecting their daily work with people living near the river banks the most affected. There are crocs on the streets and in the gutters too and people are so scared that they prefer to move in groups to help each other in case of an attack. Women in the town have stopped going to the river to wash vessels or clothes out of fear. They have urged the authorities to put up metal barricades on a section of the river so that they can do their washing and are also demanding individual tap connections so that none of them need to go to the river. The district administration is planning to construct a 6 km long protection wall along the river banks and a metal fence for a distance of 1.6 km to prevent crocodiles from entering the town. Besides, it is working with the forest department to collect details of the crocodile population, its lifestyle, growth and other details to train the local population on how to deal with the reptile. 

Meanwhile, town municipality officials are taking the help of the forest department since they are clueless about how to prevent the crocs from entering human habitats. The district administration is also planning to provide individual tap connections to discourage people from going to the river daily while warning boards have been put up at several places to alert them.

The villagers are waiting for the government and the district administration to help them tackle this unique problem.