Pune/Nagpur: The winter session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for the year 2025 began on Monday, and for three days, all the major discussions and debates in the assembly have been regarding the leopard menace in Pune, Ahilyanagar, and other districts, along with the stray dog menace across the state. Leopard debates got heated on Tuesday when Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik was targeted by over 30 MLAs, while Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Bhosari MLA Mahesh Landge’s statements about stray dogs are making headlines everywhere. Although these are important and valid issues too, it begs the question -- are these the only problems a state like Maharashtra is facing?
Across the state of Maharashtra, human-wildlife conflict has taken a surge as leopard sightings in civilisations have been reported in Pune, Ahilyanagar, Nashik, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, and other districts of the state. Not only this, but multiple MLAs informed the assembly that sightings have also reached the state’s capital city, Mumbai, where many residents have reported sighting the wildcat, but it's still unclear whether it's the truth or not.
Meanwhile, India continues to have debates about stray dogs every now and then, and the frequency has increased in recent months, with important decisions given regarding this by the Supreme Court of India and the Bombay High Court. Even this issue was given a lot of attention in all three days of the winter session of the legislative assembly. This winter session is seven days, and three days have already been all about leopards and dogs.
The Widely Discussed Leopard Menace
The session saw a particularly heated debate on Tuesday over the escalating leopard menace in Pune and Ahilyanagar districts. Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik and the ruling Mahayuti Government were heavily targeted by MLAs from all parties. Mumbra MLA Jitendra Awhad of the Nationalist Congress Party - Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP), along with over 30 other legislators, raised concerns about human-leopard conflicts in Pune, Ahilyanagar, Nashik, and other districts. Questions focused on attacks on women, children, and domestic animals. Some MLAs even cited sightings in Mumbai, leading to chaos in the Assembly hall before assurances were given.
Awhad challenged previous government promises, asking, “The Forest Minister had said that leopards will be relocated to Africa. What happened to that?” While Junnar MLA Sharad Sonawane highlighted human casualties, stating, “Until now, 55 people have lost their lives in a leopard attack in Junnar tehsil." He demanded that the Pune District should have two rescue centres for leopards, and each should have a capacity of 1000 leopards.
The debate escalated with proposals to even arm farmers with gun licences. Karvir MLA Chandradeep Narake said, “The farmers are in fear due to the ongoing leopard menace. To protect themselves, the farmers must be given a gun licence.” Suggestions also included shooting human-eating leopards on sight and providing goats to divert predatory attacks.
Responding to this, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule assured, “Decisions regarding preventive measures to stop the leopard attacks will be made.” Meanwhile, Forest Minister Naik added, “We have proposed moving leopards from Schedule I to Schedule II, which will give us legal freedom to trap, capture, relocate, or intervene when leopards enter human areas.” He also confirmed sterilisation surgeries on five female leopards, plans for a rescue centre, and procurement of 1,200 cages.
The session highlighted the urgent need for practical measures against the growing human-leopard conflict, balancing safety with wildlife conservation.
The Widely Reported Dog Menace Debate
BJP MLA Mahesh Landge made a highly controversial and widely reported statement regarding stray dogs during the recent winter session of the Maharashtra Assembly in Nagpur on Tuesday. The problem of dog bites and the canine’s uncontrolled growing population is spread across the country. Making a point of that, MLA Landge said that this year alone, over 8,000 dog bites have been reported in the Pimpri-Chinchwad city, and in the last three years, over 1 lakh cases have been reported across Pune District.
Making his point clear for the vocal supporters of the dogs, Mahesh Landge said, “All the captured stray dogs should be taken and released into the houses of the animal lovers. Let them know what a dog bite feels like.” Landge directly criticised animal welfare activists and "animal lovers". He argued that they obstruct government efforts like sterilisation drives but do not take the dogs into their own homes.
Landge demanded that the government adopt a "Delhi Pattern". He referenced a Supreme Court-mandated model for comprehensive stray dog sterilisation and vaccination to control the stray dog menace on a war footing. MLA Landge reiterated that citizen safety and public health must be the top priority.
Mahesh Landge’s statement sparked controversy in the Maharashtra Assembly and among animal welfare groups. MLAs like Sunil Prabhu and Atul Bhatkhalkar called for practical, legal solutions such as more sterilisation centres. They highlighted safety concerns and adherence to the Delhi Pattern. On the other hand, Maharashtra Minister of State Madhuri Misal emphasised compliance with Supreme Court orders. Many activists supporting dog rights went to social media and criticised Landge’s idea as cruel, illegal, and a distraction from municipal failures in controlling stray dogs.
But What About Other Major Problems?
A major focus of this winter session has been the leopard and stray dog menace across the state. Residents acknowledge that these issues are valid and deserve attention. However, public sentiment suggests that Maharashtra faces many other pressing problems, and elected leaders could do a better job representing these issues in a way that leads to actionable solutions.
According to social media, the MLAs have largely failed to discuss these matters in detail or, in some cases, at all:
1) Increasing road accidents across the state, where common people are losing their lives daily.
2) The recent issue of IndiGo flights, where many commuters -- including the politicians themselves -- faced inconvenience due to so many flights being cancelled at the last moment.
3) The increasing crime rate across the state that has now been a long-standing problem.
4) The instabilities in IT and private sectors, where many people are losing jobs due to layoffs, the growing unemployment problem and the overall ruined work-life balance of the state.
5) Major allegations of corruption involving politicians or their relatives across the state, including the most recently reported shady land deals in Pune.
6) Many other local issues across the state are affecting agriculture, business and the overall environment of the state.
