Minister pledges action after wild elephant attack claims life of youth in Kerala

Idukki (Kerala), Dec 30 (PTI) Kerala's Minister for Irrigation, Roshy Augustine, stated on Monday that the government will step up measures to prevent wildlife attacks, including installing fences.
    The minister visited the residence of Amar Ilahi, a 22-year-old from Mullaringadu, who was killed in a wild elephant attack on Sunday.
    Speaking to reporters, he assured that adequate measures would be taken to prevent such incidents.
    During his visit, residents expressed concerns about the increasing human-wildlife conflict in the region.
    They urged the minister to implement effective solutions, such as installing solar fences, to keep wild animals out of residential areas.
    "Steps will be taken to strengthen the fencing in the region to enhance security, even after the initiative is included in the Idukki special package," the minister said.
    Forest officials have also been directed to improve security in the area, he added.
    Forest Minister A K Saseendran announced that the government would provide Rs 10 lakh as compensation to Amar's family.
    Speaking to the media, the minister stated that he had requested a detailed report on the incident from the chief wildlife warden.
    Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan strongly criticised the state government and the forest department, accusing them of remaining passive as wildlife attacks persist.
    He warned that if the government continues to neglect its duty to protect lives and property, the UDF will mobilise the public and launch a protest.
    The forest department, which failed to act against wildlife encroachment, must take responsibility for the tragic death of Amar, he urged.
    He alleged that despite repeated complaints from locals about the persistent elephant menace in the Mullaringadu area, the department had not taken any steps to dig trenches or install fencing along the forest boundary.
    The government informed the assembly that 968 people lost their lives in wildlife attacks between 2016 and June 2024, he stated.
    The Leader of the Opposition alleged that, despite this figure being reported, many more fatalities have occurred since then.
    The government, which has failed to take effective measures to protect citizens from wildlife attacks, is now pushing forward with the Forest Amendment Bill, granting excessive powers to forest department officials, he added.
    After the postmortem, Amar's body was brought to his residence, and his funeral was held on Monday morning at the Mullaringadu Juma Masjid.
    The incident occurred when Amar, a native of Mullaringadu, a forest fringe plantation area, went to bring back his cow after grazing, according to the police.
    The area has been witnessing frequent visits by wild animals, especially elephants, in recent years, the police said.
    In the wake of the tragedy, the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), the Congress-led United Democratic Front, and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) are observing a local hartal in the Vannappuram panchayat on Monday.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)