THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an attempt to prevent wild elephants from straying into human habitats, the state will install bee fences on forest borders, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said. Since honey would attract bears, such fences will be grown only in forests that do not have the presence of bears.
He said the number of wildlife attacks was on the rise due to the hot weather. A high-level meeting on Thursday reviewed the arrangements to prevent wildlife from straying into human habitats.
A 24-hour control room has been opened at the forest headquarters. Emergency operation centres will be opened in 36 forest divisions. WhatsApp groups have been formed in the circle and division levels of the forest department to pass on warnings to the people. Efforts are on to form WhatsApp groups at the panchayat level, too.
The service of 900 temporary watchers is utilised in areas where attacks are reported. Shrubs are being cleared at 66 plantations in the Wayanad region. Steps are being taken to purchase 64 pump action guns, two tranquilliser guns and four drones. As many as 264 vigilance committees were formed at the panchayat level.
Steps have been taken to ensure the availability of water inside forests. A total of 341 ponds in Wayanad forest region and 249 in Idukki are being preserved. Of the Rs 13.70 crore set aside for providing compensation to wildlife attack victims, Rs 6.45 crore has been distributed. A seminar will be held in April to discuss ways to prevent wildlife attacks.
‘Fight is between LDF & UDF’
Rejecting LDF convenor E P Jayarajan’s claims, Pinarayi said the electoral fight in Kerala was between the LDF and the UDF. The LDF will win the election and the BJP will face a huge setback, he said. Recently, Jayarajan had claimed that the major fight was between the LDF and the BJP and that the Congress got weakened in the state.
He also said that the BJP has fielded good candidates in Thiruvananthapuram, Attingal, Thrissur and Kozhikode. Pinarayi also criticised Congress leader K C Venugopal for fighting the election “though he will not win.”
“The politically enlightened people of Kerala will not allow him to lose his Rajya Sabha membership. But he should introspect whether his decision was wise. Suppose he wins, the BJP will gain from it. BJP candidate will have an easy win from Rajasthan,” he said.
Poonjar issue: CM stands by statement
In what could create political ripples during the Lok Sabha poll campaign, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday reiterated his stand on the attack against a priest at Poonjar. During an interaction with minority leaders, he had stated that the students who were involved in the car racing on the church premises were Muslims. The chief minister’s remark had invited flak from different community leaders.
“I stand by what I said,” he said in reply to a question at the press conference. The assistant vicar of Poonjar St Mary’s Forane Church was struck by cars when he intervened to stop a group of school students from racing vehicles on church premises last month. I
n reply to another question over the investigation against his daughter, he said he had already stated his version. He expressed displeasure over the question by asking whether the reporter had hearing loss.