BENGALURU: Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday said he will inquire into the ex-gratia amount that Karnataka has agreed to pay the family of a Kerala man, who was trampled to death in Wayanad recently.
At the Kempegowda International Airport here, he told reporters that it was the Kerala government’s responsibility to compensate the kin of the deceased. “I will look into it and once I have all the details, I will comment further,” he said.
He later headed to Bandipur Tiger Reserve to seek details of human-animal conflicts, particularly in areas bordering Wayanad. Later, he headed to Wayanad to meet the family of Ajeesh, who was killed by a radio-collared makhana (tuskless elephant) in Wayanad on February 10.
Yadav said, “The human-elephant conflict situation is grave. Even as officials have apprised me of the situation, I will talk to people on the ground. The Centre has been issuing regular advisories and is sanctioning funds to tackle it. While addressing human-animal conflict, we should also have sympathy towards animals. All states are regularly advised to use technology while tackling conflicts. Orders to radio collar animals have been issued, but yet many are not doing it. I will see where the lapses are.”
On how the compensation issue has taken a political turn, the minister said how the ex-gratia will reach the people on the ground will be examined.
Officials from the ministry, Wildlife Institute of India and National Tiger Conservation Authority were part of the meetings with Yadav. “The minister was informed that in the wake of rising backlash from the people and opposition parties, the Karnataka government has not yet released Rs 15 lakh compensation,” ministry sources told TNIE.
In Bandipur, the minister was told about elephant and tiger radio collaring. He was given a live demonstration of the app ‘Hejje’, which tracked stray makhana elephant’s locatio to the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve. Karnataka forest officials explained to Yadav with maps and live geo-coordinates of where the makhana was released and where other translocated elephants were released. The department also informed Yadav of spots where rail barricades have been erected.
“The minister visited the place to take stock of the situation. We were able to change the narrative of Kerala and Tamil Nadu that Karnataka is dumping its problematic elephants on the borders,” forest department sources said.