Forest Minister Umesh Katti made light of the issue of movement of wild animals in Belagavi district. When asked why leopards, hyenas, and elephants were frequenting parts of the district, he said: “I am the Forest Minister. It is possible that they may have come to meet me”.
To a question why senior Forest officers from Bengaluru had not visited Belagavi to supervise operations, he said local officers were managing the situation properly. When asked whether he would visit the area of operation, he said he would not as he was “afraid of going there”.
