Slow processing, high pendency plague wildlife conflict compensation claims in Mysuru Circle

The Hindu

2 days ago

The government's avowed policy of taking local community into confidence in wildlife conservation issues is undermined by ground realities of slow processing and high backlog of compensation claims arising out of human-animal conlfict, in Mysuru circle.
This is evident in the dashboard of the Karnataka Forest Department as the data for 2024-25 presents a troubling picture of delays and rejections that tests the patience of the local community living on the forest fringes. And what is true for Mysuru circle is also true for rest of the State.
During 2024-25, as many as 5,705 cases were reported from the Mysuru circle, of which 3,219 cases are still pending, while only 2,326 cases were approved. This means almost 56% of the cases are yet to be cleared, while 160 cases have been rejected and hence denied compensation.
Also, ex-gratia sanctioned during the same period is ₹1.9 crore, while the quantum of amount pending by way of ex-gratia is ₹2.49 crore.
This delay is baffling as a significant damage caused by wild animals, especially elephants and leopards, puts the local community under financial and economic distress, according to wildlife conservationists.
Besides, timely payment of compensation is imperative to prevent 'revenge killings' and take the local community living along the forest fringes into confidence, the activists added.
The data on time taken to process the cases clearly highlights the delay in compensation payments and supports farmers' claims that the assistance is often 'too little, too late'.
Only 46 cases were processed within 30 days, and 227 cases were processed between 30 and 60 days. There were 2,053 cases that took more than 60 days for processing and reinforces the allegations of the local farmers that they are forced to make repeated visits to the Forest Department offices for getting the compensation approved.
The statistics is a stark reminder that only a handful of cases are timely settled while a majority are stuck in the maze of bureaucratic procedures adding to delays. This could be due to procedural inefficiency, lack of adequate staff leading to delay field verification, according to activists.
The delay, according to conservationist, also deepens the mistrust between the Forest Department and the local community whose support is imperative in conservation of wildlife and forests.
Among the species involved, elephants and leopards accounted for maximum number of conflict incidents. Out of 5,705 incidents in Mysuru circle, 3,986 incidents involved elephants. Leopards came second in the list and accounted for 1,343 conflict cases, while there were 220 cases involving the tigers. Wild boars, which are cited as an excuse for laying snares and illegal tapping of power, accounted for 112 cases.
Other wild animals like spotted deer, sloth bears, and Indian foxes were also involved in scattered incidents, but the number of conflict cases were in single digits in the Mysuru circle. The forest range that reported maximum number of conflicts included Omkara, Hediyala, N. Begur, Nugu, Moliyuru, H.D. Kote, Kundukere, Maddur, G.S.Betta to name a few.
There are also concerns that the high number of incidents involving elephants and leopards was also a reflection of habitat disturbance and degrading forests forcing the animals closer to human habitation.