On Wednesday, BKS Visavadar taluka unit submitted a memorandum to the forest officials and demanded immediate action to cage the wild animals found roaming in the revenue area of the forest.

The Visavadar unit also convened a farmers’ public meeting on January 8 to press for various demands and threaten agitations.

According to the Kisan Sangh leaders, wild animals (read lions and leopards) are a menace for the villages lying on the periphery of the Gir forest.

They said though the winter crop season is on, farmers don't dare visit their agricultural land due to the presence of the predators.

In the absence of proper watering, agricultural production is also being hampered with, they said.

Dhirubhai Bhankhar, a BKS leader, said that in spite of repeated requests to the concerned forest officials, no actions have been taken to prevent the wild animals from roaming around freely in the revenue area.

In some villages, wild animals are found constantly roaming on the outskirts and in hamlets like Pindakhai, Bhalgam and Zanzesar, they even enter the human habitat, he said.

He, however, added that the Forest Department has taken no action in this regard.

“BKS leaders have submitted a memorandum to the Visavadar range forest office and demanded adequate action to put an end to this menace. Apart from the forest issue, two other prime issues related to power supply and road repair will be placed on our agenda,” he said.

Prafulbhai Senjaliya, a BKS office bearer, said: “After the monsoon, no road repair work has been carried out in the rural areas. Roads linking the villages are dotted with potholes. Farmers desperately need uninterrupted power supply during this time, particularly during the day.”