Follow Safety Norms to Avoid Conflict with Wild Animals: Surekha

 Hyderabad: The state government is taking several steps to reduce human-wildlife conflict incidents and as part of these efforts, guidelines on movement of people in forest periphery villages have been issued and widely publicised in all such villages, environment and forests minister Konda Surekha informed the Legislative Council on Monday.

Surekha, responding to questions on tiger reserves in the state, said in addition to the guidelines, the government was also relocating villages from deep inside the Kawal Tiger Reserve and providing all facilities for the relocated families in their new homes. She said the Telangana government also increased the compensation for human deaths caused in conflicts with wild animals from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. “Though compensation does not replace the loss a family suffers in such incidents, this is an act of reassurance on part of our government to such families,” she said.

Referring to the recent incidents of attacks on people by tigers and leopards in the former unified Adilabad district, the minister said such incidents can be reduced if people follow the safety guidelines. “But people are ignoring our caution. Despite being told not to venture into forest and adjacent areas before 10 am and return home by 4 pm, some people are ignoring the guidelines which are designed for their safety,” the minister said.

She also said the government was considering declaring forest areas in KB Asifabad district that form part of the tiger corridor area for the big cats coming into Telangana from Maharashtra, as a conservation reserve.