MANANTHAVADY : The visit by three Kerala ministers to Mananthavady in Wayanad to pacify farmers unnerved by the spike in human-wildlife conflicts did more harm than good on Tuesday.
Specifically, it was the proposal by Local Self-Government Minister M B Rajesh — who visited the high ranges with Forest Minister A K Saseendran and Revenue Minister K Rajan — to put restrictions on cattle rearing along forest fringes that irked farmers, who alleged the move will rob them of livelihood. Rajesh, who made the announcement at an all-party meeting in Sultan Bathery, was reiterating the forest department’s argument that cattle rearing is a major reason behind tigers straying into human habitats.
Aged tigers and leopards move to forest fringes after losing territory to young blood. And since they cannot chase and catch deer, wild boar, gaurs or other prey due to their age, the cattle prove easy targets.
However, cattle rearing is the main source of income for farmers in the high ranges. Despite being a small district with 37% forest cover, Wayanad is one of the leading districts in Kerala in milk production, with dairy cooperatives there procuring an average of around 4,750 litres daily, against the state average of 635 litres. Hence, for farmers, cattle rearing provides steady income.
UDF representatives walked out of the meet in protest against the proposal. Kerala Independent Farmers Association chairman Alex Ozhukayil alleged the ministers were unaware of the ground realities in Wayanad. “As wild animals destroy crops, people rely on cattle rearing. If you ban it, they will have no option but to leave Wayanad or end their lives,” he said.
Family expresses angst
The minister trio visited houses of wildlife conflict victims. They included Prajeesh of Vakery, who was killed by a tiger, and Paul of Pakkam, Ajeesh of Padamala, Lakshmanan of Thirunelly and Thakachan of Vellamunda who were killed by wild jumbos. Ajeesh’s family expressed angst over forest officials’ attitude and demanded demarcating forest boundary and steps to protect life and property of farmers.
Union min in state today
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav will arrive in Wayanad on a two-day visit on Wednesday and visit houses of wildlife conflict victims from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. On Thursday, he will chair hi ministry’s meeting via videoconferencing from 9am to 10am and later chair a high-level meeting with the local administration and forest officials.
Govt won’t take steps that harm farmers: Saseendran
Saseendran told TNIE their visit was aimed at understanding farmers’ grievances and discussing steps to mitigate human-animal conflicts.
“UDF representatives boycotted the meeting, which was unfortunate. We have decided to implement 17 of the 27 proposals accepted at the meeting chaired by the chief minister recently. The government has also allocated `13 crore for this. It will consider the demand to raise compensation amount for victims of conflicts,” he said, adding that a nodal officer has been appointed to address farmers’ grievances.
“The government will not take any step that harms farmers. A monitoring committee comprising government officials and elected representatives as members has been formed. To mitigate conflicts, we will ensure better coordination between departments. Two rapid response teams have been allocated to the district and patrolling will be strengthened in forest areas. We have also decided to bring veterinary surgeon Arun Zachariah back to the forest department considering his expertise in tranquilising wild animals,” Saseendran said.
Ex gratia of Rs 13 crore for victims
The finance dept has sanctioned Rs 13 crore as compensation for victims of wild animal attacks. The move follows requests from districts including Kottayam, Palakkad, Kollam and Kannur. Earlier, the department had sanctioned Rs 19.9 crore for disbursing to kin of those killed in wild animal attacks, rescuing wild animals, insurance schemes for tribals and forest department’s watchmen.