Jamshedpur : Dolma Buru Sendra Samity (DBSS) and Dolma Buru Sendra Dishua Samity (DBSDS) that celebrated the festival on separate dates last year have agreed to celebrate the festival on April 27 under a single umbrella.
“We took a unanimous decision for celebrating the hunting festival on April 27 which is considered to be auspicious,” said Rakesh Hembrom, of the samiti.
Hembrom re-iterated that there would be no bloodshed. ” We have asked the hunters not to carry nets, guns or any tranqualisers. This year the focus would be much on cultural programme and related activities,” he said.
Chhote Hembrom, the adviser to the samiti said that they would also keep a close watch on hunters from neighbouring Bengal and Odisha who climb the hill with lethal weapons.
” We will prevent entry of hunters from the neighbouring states, who usually take shelter in the Dalma wildlife sanctuary the night preceding the festival,” he said adding that the samiti members would keep a vigil on all the entry points to the sanctuary.
The samiti would also appeal to all the tribal organisations in the next couple of days to not kill animals during Sendra but observe token rituals.
Jointly with the Dhalbhum forest division, the samiti would also chalk out the cultural and other programmes to be oranised on the day of the festival to attract the tribals.
“We are hopeful that the tribals would wake up early in the morning and worship their deities but will not go ahead for hunting as the senior functionaries of the Sendra Samiti has assured us about their plans, “noted a Dalma range forest officer.
It may be mentioned that every year, the forest department tries to aware villagers about the importance of wildlife and animals but still dozens of animals including deer, boar and wild buffaloes are killed during. Clad with hunting weapons like bows and arrows, they go into the jungle in search of animals by beating drums and chanting of holy hymns.
Meanwhile, the forest department is geared up to stop the tribals from hunting wild animals. Eleven strategic locations have been identified where members of Eco Club and villagers would be deployed to convince the tribals not to go for hunting.