At the farmers’ grievances meeting held at the collectorate here on Thursday, farmers from the Palani hills demanded that the Forest department tranquilise and translocate wild elephants in the areas of Thandikudi and Periyur, where at least six people, including a forest staff, have been attacked by the elephants in the past few weeks.
“Wild elephants causing damage to human lives have been captured and translocated in Coimbatore district. Why can’t the same be done in Dindigul district,” asked Ashokan, a representative of farmers from Adalur and surrounding areas.
There have been repeated complaints of wild elephants raiding crops and straying into human habitations apart from attacking people in the mid-ranges of Palani hills. Two women have been killed within two weeks. Ten days ago, a tribal woman Mariammal and her daughter, casual workers, were attacked by an elephant when they were walking from one estate to another in the afternoon. On Wednesday, Jayalakshmi was killed in an elephant attack near K.C.Patti and two other women were injured and are currently receiving treatment at the GRH, Madurai.
Both the incidents have happened in the Kannivadi range of Dindigul forest division. A forest official from the division said that the option of translocation is being considered due to increasing cases of fatal elephant attacks. “We will send in a proposal and in case if it gets sanctioned, the elephants will be translocated to the Anamalai Tiger Reserve,” said the officer.
However, farmers complained that the Forest officials have not erected electric fences along the forest boundaries, as agreed in the past. “The department has been showing an attitude of slackness in addressing the problem. Even the compensation for crop loss by elephants, wild boars and Indian Gaurs, do not reach us. Sometimes, it takes six months or more than a year for us to receive the compensation and the officials site fund crunch,” said Sivakumar, a farmer from Thandikudi.
The collector M. Vijayalakshmi, said that a suitable solution will be found for the issue at the earliest, after discussion with the revenue and forest department officials.
