A meeting was held on behalf of the committee formed by the state government for studying on the rising human animal conflict in Coimbatore, to get the opinions of the farmers, in which they demanded that permission be granted to hunt down wild boars as they are being a trouble to the farmers
Coimbatore: A meeting was held with the farmers here in mettupalayam with the forest department to discuss on the human-animal conflict.
Tamil Nadu government has constituted a committee to study the deaths of wild animals, including elephants, leopards and bears that has been on the rise here recently. A meeting was held at the forest college premises on Mettupalayam Road in Coimbatore on Monday, 18th, on behalf of the committee to seek the opinion of the farmers. The meeting was attended by Anwardeen, Chairman of the committee and additional chief conservator of forests, Padma Samartha, Conservator of forests and Kalidasan, President of Osai Eco-System, a member of the committee.
The meeting was attended by more than 60 representatives of various farmer unions, including non-party farmers' unions. Speaking at the meeting, Kandasamy, president of the farmers' union, said that now there has been an increase in the number of wild animals entering the village.
Farmers have been severely affected as wild boars are roaming in the residential area in excess. They sought that permission be granted to hunt the wild boars.
"The Wildlife Act that will take action against the farmers concerned if wild animals, including elephants, are trapped in an electric fence erected on agricultural land should be amended. If a wildlife gets trapped in an electric fence and dies, no action should be taken against the farmers by treating it as an accident."
They added that there is a shortage of manpower in the forest department and there is not enough forest staff to drive away the elephants entering the village. The farmers' representatives also requested that the compensation of Rs 4 lakhs provided to the family in case of death due to an elephant attack has to be increased
The farmers also demanded that the ban on sand mining in the Thadagam valley has resulted in the movement of wild animals in the area and demanded that the ban be continued.
Tamil Nadu government has constituted a committee to study the deaths of wild animals, including elephants, leopards and bears that has been on the rise here recently. A meeting was held at the forest college premises on Mettupalayam Road in Coimbatore on Monday, 18th, on behalf of the committee to seek the opinion of the farmers. The meeting was attended by Anwardeen, Chairman of the committee and additional chief conservator of forests, Padma Samartha, Conservator of forests and Kalidasan, President of Osai Eco-System, a member of the committee.
The meeting was attended by more than 60 representatives of various farmer unions, including non-party farmers' unions. Speaking at the meeting, Kandasamy, president of the farmers' union, said that now there has been an increase in the number of wild animals entering the village.
Farmers have been severely affected as wild boars are roaming in the residential area in excess. They sought that permission be granted to hunt the wild boars.
"The Wildlife Act that will take action against the farmers concerned if wild animals, including elephants, are trapped in an electric fence erected on agricultural land should be amended. If a wildlife gets trapped in an electric fence and dies, no action should be taken against the farmers by treating it as an accident."
They added that there is a shortage of manpower in the forest department and there is not enough forest staff to drive away the elephants entering the village. The farmers' representatives also requested that the compensation of Rs 4 lakhs provided to the family in case of death due to an elephant attack has to be increased
The farmers also demanded that the ban on sand mining in the Thadagam valley has resulted in the movement of wild animals in the area and demanded that the ban be continued.