Latest news with #A.K.Saseendran
The Hindu
28-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Kerala govt. plans law to allow regulated culling of wild animals endangering human lives and raiding crop lands
The Kerala Cabinet on Wednesday examined the legal prospects of introducing a Bill in the next session of the Assembly to sanction well-regulated and scientific culling of wild animals, primarily feral boars, which endanger human life, menace human habitations, and destroy farmlands in the State. It tasked the Principal Secretary, Forests, to work with the Principal Secretary, Law, to submit proposals for the draft Bill. As a stopgap, the Cabinet extended an order designating heads of local self-government institutions (LSGIs) or their deputies as honorary chief wildlife wardens to enlist empanelled shooters with licensed firearms to cull marauding wild boars and dispose of their carcasses in the presence of wildlife enforcers and independent government witnesses. After the Cabinet meeting, Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran told reporters that the government sought the Advocate General's opinion on whether the proposed law would conflict with the Indian Wildlife Act, 1972. Simultaneously, the government would seek the Centre's permission to declare wild boars as vermin and lift the conservation protection given to the species under Schedule III of the Act in the farmers' interest. The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) had flagged mitigating the wild boar menace as a political imperative ahead of the 2025 local body polls and the Assembly elections 2026. The administration has faced repeated criticism from Church-backed settler farmer communities, a significant electoral bloc, for allegedly not doing enough to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts, including those involving wild elephants, leopards, tigers, and monkeys. Human-wildlife conflict deaths have turned into public ire against the government and a rallying cry for the opposition to muster popular opinion against the ruling front during the crucial run-up to the local body and Assembly polls. It's a central talking point for the opposition in the Nilambur Assembly by-election campaign. Wild boars have emerged as an existential threat to settler farmers, a politically animating issue for the community in at least 11 districts with significant forest cover. The wild boar threat spans 243 panchayats spread across 54 Assembly constituencies in the State. The menace has almost cratered the rural economy. Farmers have left large swathes of land used for pineapple, tapioca, and other tubers to lie fallow, untended and overgrown. Recently, small-scale rubber cultivators have found that wild boars have developed a taste for the bark of young trees, making replanting difficult. The wild animals also posed a threat to cardamom and coffee plantations. Moreover, wild boars have attacked humans, including schoolchildren, two-wheeler riders, pedestrians, and early-morning walkers. They have trespassed into houses, causing panic. According to government estimates, the wildlife menace has resulted in crop losses of an estimated 9,000 hectares of farmland in the State since 2020. The dearth of licensed shooters and the reluctance of certain local bodies to compensate those involved in wild boar culling operations have impeded the effective eradication of the menace.
The Hindu
25-04-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Meet on Thrissur Pooram discusses safety aspects
A high-level meeting chaired by Forest and Wildlife Minister A.K. Saseendran on Friday emphasised the government's commitment to conducting the Thrissur Pooram festival without setbacks. The meeting, held at the collectorate, brought together key stakeholders to discuss arrangements and safety measures ahead of the Pooram. Mr. Saseendran said steps would be taken to ensure a smooth and hassle-free experience for the public. Referring to recent incidents of mistreating elephants and the animals turning violent on temple premises, he stressed the need to create a safe and fear-free environment for the Pooram lovers. The Minister added that official directives would be issued only with the knowledge and approval of the District Collector, ensuring transparency and consensus. He urged collaboration from all parties involved — including the Pooram organising committee and elephant owners — to maintain high safety standards. The Chief Wildlife Warden has been tasked with overseeing daily operations, with the Ernakulam Regional CCF required to submit daily reports on the progress. Elephant parades Revenue Minister K. Rajan, who joined the meeting online, called for a compassionate approach from the Forest department regarding elephant parades. He acknowledged the concern among elephant owners about changing rules and emphasised that sharing mahout details with the police would not be a cause for concern. Forest Conservator Indu Vijayan presented detailed guidelines for managing elephant processions, and it was announced that the department's Rapid Response Team (RRT) would be active during the festival. District Collector Arjun Pandian told the meeting that preparations were in full swing and designated the Additional District Magistrate as the point of contact for all festival-related needs. The Cochin Devaswom Board stated that all constituent Poorams have been instructed to adhere strictly to the festival schedule. The Paramekkavu and Thiruvambady Devaswoms requested an extension of the elephant inspection timeline. The Minister directed the District Monitoring Committee to look into this and consider deploying additional squads if necessary.
The Hindu
23-04-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Joint Nilgiri tahr census from Thursday; grasslands, rocky terrain of ENP attract tahrs
A four-day interstate Nilgiri tahr census will begin on Thursday (April 24). According to Forest department officers, Kerala and Tamil Nadu will jointly conduct the census from April 24 to 27. Minister for Forests A.K. Saseendran said that the Forest department had already completed all arrangements for the survey. Eravikulam National Park (ENP) Assistant Wildlife Warden Nithin Lal said that the grasslands and rocky hills were the most favourable habitat for the Nilgiri tahr. 'At the ENP, the grasslands ensure food availability for Nilgiri tahrs. It is the major reason why the ENP continues to be the major habitat for Nilgiri tahrs in the State,' said Mr. Lal. According to the Forest department officers, Nilgiri tahrs prefer grasslands, shola forests and steep rocky terrains. 'The ENP carries out controlled burning in its grasslands and the fresh grass that grows afterwards ensures food for the calves. Earlier, the presence of Nilgiri tahrs was noticed in the Munnar forest division areas. But after the planting of exotic varieties there, the food availability for the Nilgiri tahrs reduced, and they moved away from these areas. The proposed Neelakurinji sanctuary areas in Vattavada and Kottakkamboor are also filled with exotic species, and surveys have recorded very low presence of Nilgiri tahrs in these areas,' said a Forest department source. 'Once Nilgiri tahrs were found in most parts of the Western Ghats. But due to habitat destruction, the presence of tahrs is now limited to isolated areas,' said the source. 100 new births According to officials, in this calving season, over 100 new births have been reported in the ENP. Munnar wildlife warden K.V. Harikrishnan said that in the previous census, 817 tahrs and 144 calves were found in the ENP. Chief Wildlife Warden Pramod G. Krishnan said that camera traps would be deployed and pellet samples would be collected from selected blocks for scientific analysis, including studies on genetic variation. Officials said that Pramod P.P., field director of the Periyar Tiger Reserve, had been appointed as the nodal officer for the census. Officials from the Forest department stated that the joint survey was being taken up to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the ENP.
