GREATER NOIDA
: A
forest
department team has been camping on the 500-acre campus of the National Thermal Power Corporation (
NTPC
)
plant
in Dadri in search of a
leopard
that was sighted on October 7.
NTPC officials said they had reached out to the forest department soon after the animal was spotted crossing a small bridge inside the plant. “We also provided them with CCTV footage of the animal crossing the bridge. Since then, a team of forest rangers has been camping inside the plant,” said Pankaj Saxena, media coordinator of NTPC, Dadri.
The officials have identified the animal as a leopard from the footage. They said the leopard had possibly come from the Aravali forests. “This happens often. Animals come out of the forest, hide in a truck or a goods train and reach a distant location in search of food,” said PK Srivastava, the district forest officer.
Srivastava said his team was following the pugmarks and keeping a close watch on the boundaries of the plant. “We have laid several traps inside the plant. We hope to catch the animal soon,” he added.
The officials have also shared an advisory for residents, along with pictures of the animal from the footage. Villagers have been asked to stay alert and keep phone numbers of senior officials handy so that they can call them if the animal is sighted anywhere near the residential area. The advisory and pictures of the leopard have been doing the rounds of social media groups and websites.
The NTPC power plant is spread over 500 acres and has forest cover on much of the terrain.
Ikhlaque Abbasi, who lives near the NTPC plant, said they had been getting several WhatsApp messages to stay indoors. “People are scared even though this is not the first time that a leopard has been sighted in the area. Messages are being circulated on social media asking everybody to remain indoors and stay alert,” he said, adding that he hoped the animal was caught soon.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.