The local authority resolved to enact Section 144 to limit damage to the environment and disturbance of wildlife in the Margalla Hills.
This law forbids people from polluting, feeding wild animals, and fining offenders instead of imprisoning them. The choice was made after officials from the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) met with Noorul Amin Mengal, the chief commissioner of Islamabad and chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), to discuss increased wildlife movements in residential areas close to Margalla Hills, which were causing problems for locals.
Several ideas for protecting animals and ensuring public safety were considered by the senior official.
The participants were worried that tourists were disrupting the monkeys’ natural surroundings by feeding them junk food in the protected national park. The fact that monkeys were causing a disturbance and posing a threat to the public in residential areas rather than going on food raids in their native habitat was a big factor in this. The participants believed that if they weren’t maintained in the wilderness, they would start to colonize the neighborhoods. An outright prohibition on feeding wildlife and interfering with their behaviors was advocated by experts. Monkeys had developed a taste for stealing food from people in addition to scavenging in trash bins.
The CDA chairman reportedly stated that the safety of locals from wild animals and the preservation of nature were of utmost importance. He oversaw the placement of unique trash cans and signs emphasizing environmental protection along pathways in Margalla Hills. Playing loud music in the hills would be prohibited by Section 144 as well.
Visitors were advised not to feed any wildlife by CDA chairman. He assured the IWMB of support and collaboration, including financial support, for conserving the environment, saying that it is the responsibility of all citizens and should be fulfilled.
“Section 144 is being implemented to protect wildlife. We urged the locals to contribute to the preservation and conservation of the natural environment. The people are the rightful owners of the national park. He suggested that the IWMB employees be given the authority to immediately execute the law, saying, “We must enable all parties for better management of the park.
