Kerala CM Vijayan calls for high-level meeting on Feb 27 to address human-wildlife conflict

ANI February 24, 2025 179 views

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called an urgent high-level meeting to address the escalating human-wildlife conflicts in the state following a tragic elephant attack in Kannur. The meeting, scheduled for February 27, will bring together ministers from Forest, Finance, and Revenue departments along with top officials to review and prevent such incidents. The attack, which killed a tribal couple while they were collecting cashew nuts, has sparked local protests and drawn attention to the growing challenge of wildlife interactions. The state has already announced a compensation package of Rs 20 lakh for the victim's family and is seeking comprehensive strategies to mitigate future conflicts.

"We must find immediate solutions to prevent human-wildlife conflicts" - Pinarayi Vijayan, Kerala Chief Minister
Thiruvananthapuram, February 24: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called for a high-level meeting on February 27 at 3:30 PM at the CM Conference Hall in the secretariat to address the growing concern about human-wildlife conflict in the state.

Key Points

1

High-level meeting planned to address wildlife conflict strategy

2

Tribal couple killed by elephant near Rapid Response Team office

3

Multiple departments to review prevention measures

4

Compensation of Rs 20 lakh announced for victim's family

This comes after a tragic incident in Kannur, where a tribal couple was killed by a wild elephant while collecting cashew nuts on their farm. The deceased were natives of the 13th block, Velli and his wife Leela.

The tribal couple was attacked by the elephant just 600 m away from the Rapid Response Team office. The locals' protest after learning about the incident sparked.

The meeting will bring together ministers from various departments, including Forest, Finance, and Revenue, as well as top officials from the forest wildlife department, state police, and disaster management authority.

They will review the measures taken to control the wildlife-human conflict and discuss ways to prevent such incidents in the future.

The meeting on February 27 aims to find a solution to the rising incidents of human-wildlife conflicts in Kerala, which have become a major concern for the state's authorities.

Forest minister AK Suseendran has sought a report from Kannur DC (District Collector) Arun K Vijayan regarding the matter. Opposition parties BJP and UDF have called for a 'hartal' in the Aralam Gram Panchayat.

Kannur district collector chaired an Emergency Disaster Management Committee meeting, which decided to compensate the victim's family with Rs 20 lakh. The forest department has allocated a financial aid of 10 lakh per victim, of which 5 lakh will be released in the initial phase.

Tags:
Kerala Wildlife Conflict Pinarayi Vijayan Elephant Attack Kannur Incident Human-Wildlife Conflict
You May Like!