Wildlife laws by Indira Gandhi govt. obstacle to addressing human-animal conflicts: CM

The Hindu

29-05-2025

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said instances of human-animal conflict were on the rise in the State, but a major hurdle in dealing with the issue were the wildlife laws enacted by the Congress government led by Indira Gandhi.
Mr. Vijayan, at a press conference here, contended that the State government was taking all possible steps to address the increasing instances of human-animal conflict, which requires a permanent solution in view of the loss of lives and property caused by it.
He said the Forest and Wildlife department had been asked to initiate steps for securing permission from the Central government for the killing of wild boars and other wild animals that posed a threat to human life and property.
The Forest Secretary had been tasked to submit a proposal for the necessary legislation in this regard in consultation with the Law Secretary, he added.
'However, some are blaming the State government for such instances with the political aim to mislead the people. Such persons are not ready to examine the facts — that it is the Central laws which are a major hurdle in dealing with the matter.'
'Everyone knows that these wildlife laws were brought during the tenure of the Congress government at the Centre under Indira Gandhi in 1972,' he said.
He was referring to the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 which had been enacted for the protection of plant and animal species across India.
He said the laws passed by Parliament cannot be amended by the State government and had to be changed by the Centre.
He claimed that the State government had made several requests for amendment to the wildlife laws, but no steps had been taken till now.
Mr. Vijayan also said the guidelines issued by the Central government and the National Tiger Conservation Authority to deal with tigers and elephants that encroached on populated areas were 'completely impractical'.