Wild elephant menace: Hartal in Kerala's Wayanad as tusker kills 2 people in a week
Angry agitators blocked the vehicular traffic along the major routes in the district that connect Karnataka and other parts of the state
Shops remained closed and vehicles kept off the roads in Kerala’s Wayanad on Saturday (February 17) where the ruling LDF, Opposition UDF and BJP have called for a dawn-to-dusk hartal seeking permanent solutions to the wild elephant menace in the region.
Angry agitators blocked the vehicular traffic along the major routes in the district that connect Karnataka and other parts of the state a day after an ecotourism guide of the forest department died after being attacked by an elephant near Kuruva island.
Paul encountered the elephant while stationed near the Eco Tourism centre to turn away people from the area due to the ongoing operation to capture the jumbo which had trampled to death another man last Saturday.
Last week, Aji (42) was trampled to death by the elephant in the Mananthavady area of the district triggering massive protests in Wayanad.
Shutdown in major towns
Locals had gathered in large numbers and demanded that the state government take action and provide compensation to the victim's family.
Major towns like Kalpetta, Bathery, Mananthavady, Lakidi and other places saw complete shutdown on Saturday.
Kerala Forest Minister A K Saseendran termed as 'unfortunate' the death of Paul and assured that necessary help would be provided to his family.
The elusive pachyderm is yet to be caught despite the Forest department roping in several Rapid Response Teams (RRTs), 'kumki' elephants and even a thermal camera to detect the animal in the dense forests in the area.
CM steps in to address issue
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday issued directions to convene a high-level meeting under the aegis of ministers to discuss issues related to frequent man-animal conflicts in Wayanad district.
As per the directive, Revenue, Forest and Local Self Government Department (LSGD) ministers would jointly convene a meeting in Wayanad district on February 20.
All peoples' representatives including civic body councillors of Wayanad besides higher officials would participate in the meeting, a statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.
The CM intervened in the matter in the wake of intense protests staged by local people seeking solutions to address frequent attacks by stray wild animals in human settlements in the high range district.
(With agency inputs)
