“Increase compensation”: Priyanka Gandhi raises human-animal conflict in Wayanad
According to Kerala government data, 915 people lost their lives while over 7,917 were injured in the last nine years
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday raised the issue of human-animal conflict in her constituency Wayanad urging the ruling dispensation to raise the compensation for those affected by it.
“In my constituency of Wayanad, in the last year, 90 people have been affected by this conflict, and just yesterday, there was an attack by wild elephants on someone. So, I would also like to ask that the compensation be increased, especially for farmers and ordinary people who are being affected by this conflict,” she asked in her maiden question during the Lok Sabha’s Question Hour during the ongoing winter session of the Parliament.
In his response, the Union environment, forest and climate change minister Bhupendra Yadav said a team of central government officials led by him, visited three taluks in the Wayanad constituency and work has been done in collaboration with the forest department and the district administration.
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According to Kerala government data, 915 people lost their lives while over 7,917 were injured in the last nine years (2016 to 2024) in the state due to human-animal conflict. The incidents were mostly caused by elephants, tigers and wild boars.
On Saturday, a female engineering student from Thrissur died while her friend sustained injuries after a branch of a palm tree, uprooted by an elephant, fell on their motorbike.
On March 10, the Kerala and Karnataka governments inked an interstate agreement to collaborate closely to mitigate the challenges posed by wild animals encroaching into human settlements.
The agreement focuses on several key aspects, including identifying the root causes of human-wildlife conflicts, delineating conflict zones, streamlining intervention processes to minimise delays, facilitating rapid information exchange and sharing resources and services.