A valid informer for forest department

Thiruvananthapuram: If the Forest Department had listened to V.K. Venkitachalam at least half the elephant-related violence in the state, and innumerable loss of human lives, could have been prevented.

For nearly a decade, this accountancy teacher has been calling up forest and revenue Department officials at least 15 times a week to inform them of cruelty towards elephants.

Mostly, the information he passes on is ignored. But Venkitachalam keeps calling, and with the start of the festival season the frequency has increased.

On November 29, for instance, he called up Malayattur DFO and Palarivattom flying squad DFO alerting them to the decision of the festival committee of Poornathrayeesha Temple, Thripunithura, to parade 15 elephants during prohibited hours from November 30. No action was taken.

The Law bars the parading of elephants between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. 

It also prohibits elephants paraded in the morning to be employed in the evening.

“But it is always followed in the breach,” Venkitachalam said. In 2012 alone, elephants had run amok three times at the temple.

On November 29 itself, in Thrissur, 21 elephants were paraded at the Thriprayar Sreeramaswami Temple. “Even after giving complaints to the forest authorities, no penal action was initiated against offenders,” Venkitachalam said. Last year, there were seven instances of elephants turning violent at the Sreeramaswami Temple.

Nonetheless, the Department has grudging respect.

“Though it is hard to act on his information I have huge respect for the work he is doing,” said chief wildlife warden Valliyil Gopinath.

“You cannot question the credibility of his information. He gets information on a real-time basis and I still am unable to fathom his modus operandi,” he said.

Venkitachalam, who runs an organisation called Heritage Task Force, is reputed to have a vast and complex network of informers spread across the entire state and outside.