FATEHABAD: Stray dogs mauled to death yet another blackbuck at Badopal village near Gorakhpur nuclear power plant residential colony in Fatehabad district on Wednesday.
Members of Bishnoi community, who reside in villages surrounding the plant, later held a protest against the failure of administration and government to protect the blackbucks. They even demanded a strict action against the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), which has set up the project, alleging that 10 blackbucks had died here earlier, after they got entangled in the barbed metal fencing put up to demarcate the colony for the plant employees.
NPCIL, which had put the fence around the colony, had to remove it last year on the directions of the National Green Tribunal.
Vinod Karwasra, member of Paryavaran Evam Jeev Raksha Bishnoi Sabha, said, "Badopal is the natural habitat of blackbucks, neelgai (blue bull) and other animals. In 2010, there were about 1,000 blackbucks here, but now their number has dwindled to around 400. Many blackbucks were killed due to the metal fence and now stray dogs maul these endangered animals. We have been asking the local administration to take care of blackbuck, but all in vain."