Thiruvananthapuram: Priyanka Gandhi on Monday raised the issue of the Wayanad human-wildlife conflict in Parliament and sought adequate compensation for the victims of such attacks.
The Wayanad MP highlighted the human-wildlife conflict in her constituency during question hour. She noted that approximately 90 individuals have fallen victim to human-wildlife conflicts within the Wayanad parliamentary constituency in the past year.
Priyanka while asking a supplementary question during Question Hour, referred to a recent incident in which one person died and another sustained grievous injuries in an elephant attack in her constituency.
She sought to know from the government whether compensation for ordinary people and farmers would be increased in cases involving animal attacks on humans.
Man-animal conflict was also one of the major issues raised by Priyanka and other candidates during the recent election.
Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupendra Yadav while responding to Priyanka’s question stated that a team of central government officials, led by him, visited three taluks in the Wayanad constituency to assess the situation. Initiatives are being undertaken in collaboration with the Forest Department and the district administration.
Wayanad and many other parts of Kerala have been facing increasing wildlife encounters, including fatal incidents involving elephants, tigers, leopards, and wild boars. According to government records, over the past nine years, 915 people have died and 7,919 have been injured in human-animal conflicts.
Representatives of the Kerala and Karnataka governments have signed an interstate agreement to address the challenges posed by wild animals encroaching into human settlements.
The agreement focuses on several important aspects, including identifying the root causes of human-wildlife conflicts, delineating conflict zones, streamlining intervention processes to minimize delays, exchanging rapid information, and sharing resources and services.
Local farmers and residents have repeatedly criticized the Forest Department for its indifferent approach to such a major issue. However, the authorities claim that habitat preservation issues are being addressed and conflict management strategies are being developed.
The geographical terrain of Wayanad makes many parts of the district vulnerable to human-animal conflict as it borders protected areas.
