Maharashtra: Bull shark not on govt wildlife list; no relief for Palghar fisherman who lost leg

A few weeks after the quiet hamlet of Dongarpada in Palghar district was rocked by a terrifying bull shark attack Hitesh Govari a 34yearold villager who lost his left leg in the close encounter opened up to midday about his traumatic experience and struggle to receive compensationThis reporter visited Manor last week to gain clarity on the events that had transpiredThe 34yearold with his tenyearold daughter Vaishnavi his mother and wife Vaishali far left PicsRanjeet JadhavSitting in his modest home Govari the sole breadwinner of his family expressed deep concern about the future of his children due to his incapacity to continue working as a loader and fisherman Adding to his plight is the cruel reality that despite his severe injuries Maharashtra compensation laws do not cover incidents involving bull sharks As Govari awaits the acknowledgement of his case as an exceptional circumstance he asks the forest department to empathise with him andoffer compensationThat fateful eveningldquoI visited the Vaitarna riverbank on the evening of February 13 with my 10yearold daughter Vaishnavi After entering two or threefootdeep water I felt severe pain below my left knee I had no idea what had happened and as I tried to raise my leg I saw that a large portion of the calf was missing There was blood everywhereVaishnavi who was sitting on the riverbank started shouting and without giving it a thought she knotted my shirt and her clothes over my damaged leg to prevent more blood loss I am alive today due to my daughter and other villagers who rushed me to the hospital on timerdquo said GovariHe added that all children in Adivasi padas grow up knowing basic first aid owing to their close connection with nature and injuries being a common occurrenceGovari added that within seconds of the attack he observed a massive fish which he believed to be the bull sharkThe 34yearold with his tenyearold daughter Vaishnavi his mother and wife Vaishali far left PicsRanjeet JadhavGovari was rushed to a local hospital in Manor shortly after the attack but physicians advised his family to take him to Shri Vinoba Bhave Civil Hospital in Silvassa as the nature of the injury was serious and it required expert interventionThe aftermathldquoThe injury was so serious that doctors had no choice but to amputate my leg Irsquom grateful to the doctors for saving my life What bothers me right now is what will happen to my two children I was the primary breadwinner of the family and with one leg I wouldnrsquot be able to work as a loader I used to earn Rs 15000 per month I have been told that my recovery will be costly and specialists have warned me it could take five to six months God knows how Irsquoll handle the daily expenses of my familyrdquo he saidGovarirsquos wife Vaishali is also worried as the family has to spend Rs 2500Rs 3000 weekly on transportation alone to accompany her husband to Silvassa to get his wounds dressedShe said ldquoWe spend about Rs 4000 each week on his treatment including travel and medication I am concerned about the future because he is the familyrsquos sole breadwinner The forest department should treat this as a case of humanwildlife conflict and compensate my husband as such victims receive permanent disability compensationrdquoGovarirsquos mother stated that the family is in desperate need of money and that someone should step forward and offer assistance in their timeof difficultyDepartmentSpeakA senior forest department official who did not wish to be named said ldquoItrsquos a tragic situation but despite being a case of HWC humanwildlife conflict we wonrsquot be able to compensate the victims because a bull shark bite is not covered under the Maharashtra Payment of Compensation for Loss Injury or Damage Caused by Wild Animals Act 2023rdquoThe state government compensates victims for the following types of injuries or damages caused due to wild animal attacks loss of human life permanent disability or major injury to humans loss of cattle life injury to cattle damage to crops or fruit plants and property damageAccording to the Maharashtra Payment of Compensation for Loss Injury or Damage Caused by Wild Animals Act 2023 ldquowild animalrdquo means tiger leopard bear bison wild pig jackal hyena fox crocodile elephant wild dog deer nilgai monkey and langur and includes such other wild animals as the state government may by notification published in the official gazette specifyThe Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 in India safeguards four shark species the whale shark Pondicherry shark Ganges shark and speartooth shark making it illegal to capture kill or sell them This list does not include the bull shark so Govari might face it extremely difficult to get compensation from the forest departmentWhen contacted the Deputy Conservator of Forest DCF Palghar Madhumitha S was not available for commentHighest compensationAccording to the data available exclusively with midday 624 people were killed and over 5000 injured in the state between January 2012 and January 2023 due to HWC The Maharashtra forest department has paid over R450 crore in compensation due to HWC including for human deaths injuries cattle loss and crop damage in this periodThe highest number of deaths due to HWC 98 took place in 20222023 till January 2023 followed by 86 deaths in 20212022 and 82 in 20202021The highest number of human injuries due to HWC 700 was recorded in 20152016 followed by 686 in 2016017 and 648 in 20222023 The Maharashtra FD has paid R45783 crore in compensation between January 1 2012 and January 26 2023The amount of financial aid provided to families of people killed by wild animals in Maharashtra is R25 lakh A person receives R750 lakh in compensation if they are left permanently disabled as a result of the attack and R5 lakh in compensation for serious injuriesFeb 13Day incident occurredRs 4000Govarirsquos weekly treatment expenditure