THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : With the government facing heat over human-wildlife conflicts, one of which ended in a farmer’s death in Wayanad last week, the assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution urging the Centre to take steps to rein in exponential breeding of wild animals. The resolution, presented by Forest Minister A K Saseendran, also sought amendments to the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, in accordance with changing times to prevent such conflicts.
The resolution said the Centre should amend clauses, including 5(2), of the Act that allowed the chief wildlife warden to delegate powers and duties with the government’s nod.
“The Section 11(1)(a), which gives powers to the chief wildlife warden should be amended to delegate the same to chief forest conservators... The Act should be amended from time to time by including necessary practical provisions...to prevent wild animals from attacking humans,” said the resolution, which also sought declaring wild boars ‘vermin’.
Saseendran said several human lives have been lost in the state as wild animals entered human habitats leading to conflict. “Wild boars and monkeys, considered wild animals, have been breeding exponentially outside forest areas, which has led to severe disturbances. Wildlife protection acts, rules, procedures, criteria and advisories having stringent conditions that are not changed as per the need of the hour are preventing authorities from killing and controlling wild animals encroaching into populated areas,” Saseendran said.
Union min’s jibe
Reacting to the resolution, Union Minister V Muraleedharan said the Kerala government had made it a habit to blame the Centre to hide its own lapses. In a post on X, he termed this practice by CPM shameful and said the resolution, blaming GoI exposed fault lines in the CPM’s governance.