Farmers continue hunger strike in Wayanad

Collector visits stir venue, promises to address grievances

Wayanad District Collector S. Suhas visiting farmers who are on an indefinite agitation seeking protection from wild animal attacks at Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad on Wednesday.

Farmers who have been staging an indefinite hunger stir here, seeking protection from wild animal attacks, decided to continue their agitation even after Wayanad District Collector S. Suhas visited the venue of the agitation and held talks with the protesters on Wednesday.

The farmers, under the aegis of the Vadakkanad Grama Samrakshana Samiti, launched the stir on March 17 in front of the office of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary Warden at Sulthan Bathery with a slew of demands, including a permanent solution to keep wild animals away from human settlements.

Mr. Suhas promised the leaders that the issue would be discussed at a meeting of people’s representatives, leaders of farmers’ forum, and officials of the departments concerned to be held in Thiruvananthapuram on March 27 in the presence of the Forest Minister.

Scientific measures would be adopted to mitigate man-animal conflict in Vadakkanad, for which a team of officials of Revenue and Forest departments, led by Mr. Suhas, would visit the affected area in a week. The report would be submitted to the government for further action.

The alleged delay in disbursing compensation to farmers for the losses incurred in wildlife attack would be solved. Directions had been given to senior Forest Department officials to complete maintenance works on elephant trenches on the forest fringes, Mr. Suhas said.

A sum of ₹65 lakh had been disbursed to farmers as compensation for wildlife attack this year in the district and another ₹30 lakh would be disbursed soon. The service of the rapid response team of the Forest Department would be expanded to chase habitual crop-raiding elephants to forest.

Projects for digging elephant trenches, constructing stone walls and installing solar power fences on forest fringes would be extended to more areas to mitigate man-animal conflict, he said.

However, leaders of the farmers’ forum said they would continue the agitation till the government solved their issues. They were yet to get an official letter to attend the meeting to be held in the presence of Forest Minister. If the meeting failed to address the issue, they would intensify the agitation.

Meanwhile, Sulthan Bathery police arrested N.K. Mohanan, a protester, after his health deteriorated. Mr. Mohanan, also ward member of the the Noolpuzha panchayat, was admitted to Taluk Hospital, Sulthan Bathery.