Alleging that the Forest Department has failed to prevent wild animals from coming out of the forest areas and killing humans and damaging crops, Federation of Karnataka State Farmers’ Associations has called upon the State government to immediately constitute a high level committee of experts to take action in the regard.
Addressing a press conference in Mysuru on Monday, January 23, a day after the body of a 11-year-old boy was found half eaten in Horalahalli in T. Narsipura taluk on Sunday, Federation President Kurubur Shanthakumar said wild animals like leopards, elephants, tigers, wild boars, peacocks and deer routinely come out of the forest areas and destroy crops and also claim human lives.
Mr. Shanthakumar also urged the government to provide a compensation of ₹50 lakh to the family of persons dying due to attack by wild animals.
He said an atmosphere of fear was prevailing in many villages with farmers expressing fear to go to their fields for work. While the authorities have asked the people in the rural areas not to venture out after sunset, the electricity supply company provides power to their irrigation pumpsets at night, forcing the farmers to go to their fields in the night to turn on the pumpets.
He urged the government to ensure that power is supplied for irrigation pumpsets during the daytime. He also came down on Minister in-charge of Mysuru district S.T. Somashekar for not paying attention to the man-animal conflict that had been gripping Mysuru district where a lot of innocent human lives have been lost on account of the wild animals’ menace.
Contending that the killing of a young boy in Horalahalli in T. Narsipura was a ‘heart-wrenching’ incident, Mr. Shanthakumar said several people including women and children were losing their lives in the district due the attack by wild animals.
The Minister in-charge of the district should visit the regions bordering forest areas in Mysuru district, hold talks with the officials to ensure that they are retained within the forest areas. If necessary steps are not taken to capture the wild animals roaming outside the forest areas and relocate them back to the forest areas, more human lives could be lost, he feared.
He said the people of Mysuru district do not need a Minister in-charge of the district, who is not bothered about the problems of the people and urged the government to replace the Minister in-charge.
Farmers duped
Mr. Shanthakumar alleged that 23 farmers from Mysuru district had been duped to the tune of an estimated ₹3.5 crore from the sale of jowar to unidentified persons.
Cautioning farmers against selling agricultural products to such unidentified persons, Mr. Shanthakumar urged the government to withdraw the amendment to the APMC Act.
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