Condemning the Department of Forest’s failure to check invasion of wild animals into fields along Western Ghats as it caused extensive damage to the standing crops, farmers from various parts of the district staged demonstration in front of the Collectorate here on Friday.
Led by Vadakarai S. T. Shaik Maideen of Communist Party of India and Zakhir Hussein, vice-president of Farmers’ Federation for Linking of South Indian Rivers, the farmers raised slogans against the Department of Forest. They said the invasion of elephants, wild boars, deer and other animals into agriculture lands along Western Ghats was continuing for the past several decades due to the gross failure of the official machinery. Had the Forest Department dug trenches between the Western Ghats and agricultural fields and erected solar-powered fence, it would have effectively checked the invasion of the animals.
“Though the forest personnel say that they would hunt down wild boars destroying crops and asking farmers not to harm the invading wild animals, no step is being taken to check this menace,” Mr. Shaik Maideen said.
Hefty loss
In their petition submitted to the Collectorate, the farmers said that the agriculturists in Kadayanallur range, who were cultivating coconut, banana, mango and paddy, were facing hefty losses as the invading wild animals had been destroying their crops throughout the year. Though complaints were raised with the officials seeking compensation and credible measures for checking the invasion of animals, the Department of Forest did not do anything and left farmers in the lurch.
Hence, the Collector should intervene and convene a joint meeting with officials of Department of Forest, Department of Agriculture, Department of Revenue and farmers’ representatives to arrive at strategies to permanently check the invasion of wild animals into agricultural fields.
Steps should be taken for the appointment of District Forest Officer for the newly-formed Tenkasi district so that steps could be taken early for finding a lasting solution to this issue, which was also posing serious threat to the livelihood and life of farmers, they said.
