In the recently concluded Session, MLA M P Appacchu Ranjan and Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiag had urged the Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to increase the compensation being paid for the victims of the wild animals attack.
On the direction of the Chief Minister, the Principal Conservator of Forest (wildlife) had recommended to increase the compensation paid to the victims family. The Finance department has also given its nod and a notification has been issued by the under secretary P R Kalavathi of forest, environment ecology department on August 10.
The circular will come into effect from August 10 itself. The compensation will be distributed by the forest department officials. With this, Karnataka government has increased the compensation to equal it to the compensation paid in Tamil Nadu, Goa and Andra Pradesh.
The rift between elephant and humanbeings are on rise in Kodagu, Mysore, Chamarajanagara, Chikmagalur, Hassan, Bangalore (rural) and Tumkur district in the last few years.
According to an estimate by the forest department there are about 1600 elephants in Kodagu jurisdiction including Nagarahole reserve forest and on the border of Kerala. About 109 villages are prone to wild elephant menace in Kodagu.
Death count
In the last 20 years, 51 people have lost their lives owing to wild elephant attack. As many as 73 elephants found dead.
With the increase in wild elephant menace, the number of deaths are also increasing every year. Between 2005 and 2009, about 489 persons were killed in wild animals attack in the State. This include in 2005-06—150, 2006-07—141, 2007-08—96 and 2008-09—102 were killed.
Kodagu tops in the number of deaths and loss due to wild animals attack followed by Bandipura. In the last 19 years, a sum of Rs 1,500 crore had been utilised by the Centre and state governments to check the wild animals menace in the country.
DH News Service
