Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan.
Credit: PTI Photo
Wayanad: The opposition Congress in Kerala on Tuesday accused the Left government of being "indifferent" to the plight of the people living in the hilly regions of the state.
It also urged the LDF government to seriously consider the issue of wild animal attacks and take urgent measures to prevent them.
Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan said that the state government has left the people of the hilly regions to their fate.
He made the accusations after visiting the family of Radha who was mauled to death by a tiger when she was out collecting coffee beans at the Priyadarshini Estate in Mananthavady village here last week.
Satheesan said that the state government was not implementing the older or newer methods of deterring wild animals from entering inhabited areas.
"Other states facing such issues have implemented newer methods of keeping away wild animals from populated areas. But, this government is not doing anything. It has left the people of the state to their fate. They (government) are indifferent," he said while speaking to reporters here.
The UDF MPs from Kerala were in the Parliament strongly pushing for changes to the Wildlife laws in accordance with the changing times.
"But, there are things that the state government can do, like appointing more forest staff and watchers. It has to do that. It needs to take the issue seriously and implement urgent measures to address the fear in the people's minds.
"To exert pressure on both the state and central governments, we are holding the 'Malayora Samara Yatra'," the opposition leader said.
The 'yatra' is a statewide campaign launched by the Congress to highlight the issues faced by the people living in the high ranges of Kerala.
The 'man-eater' tiger that killed Radha on January 24 was found dead in Kerala's high-range district of Wayanad on Monday. The post-mortem revealed that fresh, deep wounds found on the neck of the feline were the cause of its death.