Human-animal conflict: CM Pinarayi Vijayan needs to rein in forest dept, says KCBC chairman
KOCHI: The Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council's (KCBC) Commission for Social Harmony and Vigilance has urged the state government to take decisive action to curb increasing wildlife attacks and also put an end to 'forest raj' being unleashed by the forest department. In a letter, Bishop Dr Yoohanon Mar Theodosius, chairman of the commission, highlighted the conclusion of the report prepared by the Kerala High Court-appointed amicus curiae.
'As per the report prepared by the amicus curiae, 2,630 wildlife attacks have occurred in Kerala between 2023 and 2024. In five years, 103 people were killed by wild elephants and 341 by other wild animals. The damage that wildlife causes to property and agriculture is incalculable. Though attacks by wild animals are becoming more frequent, the government, public officials, and the media are not giving the attention they deserve,' he said in the letter.
The commission has made some recommendations for the perusal of the state government. One of the recommendations is that the Central and state governments need to sit up and take notice. The governments need to take action to curb the growing number of wildlife attacks and the factors that contribute to them, said the bishop.
The central and the state governments need to comprehend and address the people's predicament, he said. 'The government should plan to make constructive interventions and find and implement effective solutions. Also, the amicus curiae's recommendation that compensation for fatalities resulting from wildlife attacks should be at least Rs 24 lakh is commendable. But, the government systems need to wake up and take action to ensure the victims get the said compensation,' he said.
The commission accused the forest department of continuously taking anti-people positions. 'The chief minister should step in to control the department's actions like interfering with the rights of the people and encroaching on residential and agricultural land in Idukki and Wayanad besides other areas,' he added.
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