A team of experts led by Principal Chief Conservator of Forest Raj Kishore Singh, heard the grievances of the villagers on the wild jumbo menace in Sakleshpur taluk, Hassan district, on Monday.
The team is on a two-day visit to the areas affected by wild jumbos in Hassan and Kodagu districts.
BJP leader H M Vishwanath told the officers, "I will shoot with a double-barrel gun, if the wild jumbos enter my farm and try to attack me". The team interacted with the villagers at Belagodu in Sakleshpur taluk.
The villagers said, "Please do not assure us that radio collars would be fixed to the jumbos and suitable compensation would be provided to those who lose lives and hike compensation for crop loss. The team should submit a report to the government asking it to relocate all the jumbos immediately," they said.
Coffee growers explained that the jumbos move in herds in villages and people cannot come out of their homes. "It has become difficult to find labourers for harvesting coffee beans. Give us protection or give permission for mercy killing (euthanasia)," they demanded.
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