Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has scheduled a high-level meeting on February 27 at 3:30 PM in the CM Conference Hall to address the escalating human-wildlife conflict in the state. The meeting comes in response to a tragic incident in Kannur, where a tribal couple, Velli and his wife Leela, lost their lives after being attacked by a wild elephant while collecting cashew nuts on their farm. The attack occurred just 600 meters from the Rapid Response Team office, triggering protests from local residents.
The meeting will include ministers from the Forest, Finance, and Revenue departments, along with top officials from the forest wildlife department, state police, and disaster management authority. Officials will assess the effectiveness of current measures and explore strategies to mitigate future human-wildlife conflicts. The increasing frequency of such incidents has raised significant concerns, prompting authorities to seek long-term solutions. Meanwhile, Forest Minister AK Suseendran has requested a detailed report on the incident from Kannur District Collector Arun K Vijayan.
In response to the tragedy, the Kannur District Collector chaired an Emergency Disaster Management Committee meeting, which approved a compensation package of Rs 20 lakh for the victims’ family. The forest department has allocated Rs 10 lakh per victim, with an initial payment of Rs 5 lakh. The incident has also led to political unrest, with opposition parties BJP and UDF calling for a ‘hartal’ in the Aralam Gram Panchayat to protest the government’s handling of human-wildlife conflicts.
Post Your Comments