Elephant attacks: SHRC seeks explanation from Forest Department

May 06, 2021 12:34 am | Updated 12:34 am IST - Kozhikode

The Kerala State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has demanded an explanation from the Chief Conservator of Forests and the Kozhikode District Forest Conservator within two weeks on the wild elephant attacks in the district that recently resulted in the loss of two lives.

The Commission had suo motu registered a complaint based on newspaper reports on wild elephant attacks at Konoorkandi, a border village in the district. K. Baijunath, judicial member of the commission, had analysed the allegations that the incidents were caused by the carelessness of the Forest Department. He asked the department to conduct an immediate inquiry and submit a report.

The commission noted that wild elephants roamed freely in Konoorkandi and Kunhikkad areas and that the lives of farmers in the region were at risk. Elephants from Pantheerayiram and Panniyamala, part of the Nilambur forest range, often came in herds to the villages and destroyed crops. The local people had complained to the forest officials many times. The authorities had assured them that a protective fence would be constructed on the border of the forest, but it was built only in some parts.

There have also been complaints that local people had cleared a part of the forest to prevent the wild elephants from entering the village, but the forest officials had not paid attention to the issue.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.