THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Forest Minister A K Saseendran said on Wednesday that the government will take into serious consideration the increasing number of adivasi deaths in human-animal conflicts. The minister was inaugurating the Gothrabheri state workshop at the forest headquarters here on Wednesday.
Though all deaths are devastating, the numbers have reduced over the years, with 67 people being killed in 2024-25, against 113 in 2021-22, the minister said. Among the 67 deaths last year, 34 died from snake bites and 19 due to elephant attacks, of which 13 were from the adivasi community.
The minister stated that the 10-point plan to combat man-animal conflicts has started seeing success, the reduced numbers being a testament to the same.
As many as 18 zonal meetings have been held in over 360 hamlets in the state, to compile information from the community, consolidation of which is the main aim of the workshop. The key details collected from here will be used to implement schemes to evade the crisis, with the cooperation of the planning commission and startup mission.
The incorporation of modern technologies and coordinated efforts of various departments are expected to fetch better results in the coming days. The minister also emphasised that, unlike other states, the government is giving prime importance to resolving the issue by declaring it a state-specific disaster.