A public consultation meeting on Man-Elephant conflict and other forest-related issues was held on Friday under the chairmanship of Forest Minister Ramalinga Reddy at the video conference hall of the Deputy Commissioner’s Office in Madikeri.
Chief Minister’s Political Secretary and Virajpet MLA A.S. Ponnanna, Madikeri MLA Dr. Mantar Gowda, Legislative Council Member M.P. Suja Kushalappa, Guarantee Scheme Implementation Committee District President Dharmaja Uthappa, former Legislative Council Member Veena Achaiah, M. Lakshmana, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Meenakshi Negi, PCCF (Wildlife) Pushkar, Kodagu Chief Conservator of Forests Sonal, District Commissioner S.J. Somashekar, Zilla Panchayat CEO Anand Prakash Meena, District Superintendent of Police R.N. Bindumani, Deputy Conservator of Forests Abhishek and others were present.
Speaking at the meeting, Forest Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that the two MLAs had raised the issue of human-wildlife conflict in Kodagu district at length during the recent Legislative Session, and necessary action would be taken in this regard.
The Minister said that steps had been taken to prevent wild elephants from entering human habitations through the construction of trenches, elephant-proof barricades and railway barricades.
The Forest Minister assured that several other measures would also be taken, including the cultivation of more food plants and trees within forest areas and the construction of lakes and dams to ensure the availability of drinking water for wildlife.
He said that it was essential to prevent elephants from straying out of forest areas, and that 28 Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) had been deployed for this purpose.  Greater attention would be given to controlling human-wildlife conflict, including incidents involving wild elephants. In this regard, he said that a meeting of Ministers and MLAs from the Western Ghats region would be held on shortly to discuss the issue.
The Minister also said that further measures would be taken to prevent tigers from straying into human habitations from the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve.
Referring to the Draft ESA Notification, the Minister said that the MLAs had already raised the issue extensively during the Legislative Session and that the government had decided to reject the report in its present form.
Yadavanad and Attur decalared revenue villages
He also said that steps had been initiated to resolve the C and D land issue. Yadavanad and Attur villages in the Harangi watershed area had already been declared revenue villages, and RTCs were to be issued. The MLAs and Legislative Council Members had discussed the matter and held consultations with the Revenue Minister, and the issue would be resolved, he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister’s Political Secretary and MLA A.S. Ponnanna said that the government had decided to completely reject the Kasturirangan Report.
He said that the Kasturirangan Report could not be accepted in its present form and that the government had already expressed its objections to it.
The report, he said, should be implemented only after taking the States into confidence. He said that the Chief Minister had decided to convene a special session to discuss the Kasturirangan Report in detail.
The matter would be discussed extensively, and the State’s views would subsequently be communicated to the Central Government. He firmly reiterated that the report in its present form would not be accepted.
Madikeri MLA Dr. Mantar Gowda said that it was important to protect the interests of farmers, irrespective of political affiliations, and that the Kasturirangan Report should be discussed in the district on a non-partisan basis.
During the public consultation, Dr. Mantar Gowda also drew the Minister’s attention to the issues concerning Yadavanad and Attur villages in the Harangi reservoir area.
Legislative Council Member Suja Kushalappa said that it was important to safeguard the interests of all farmers and cultivators in the district.
He said that the number of wild animals in Kodagu district was increasing day by day and that necessary action should be taken to address the issue.
Former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly K.G. Bopaiah said that the conflict involving wild animals was not a recent phenomenon. The number of wild elephants had increased, while there was a shortage of food and drinking water in forest areas. He said greater attention needed to be given to addressing these issues.
He suggested that teak, acacia and eucalyptus should not be grown in forest areas and that food plants required by elephants should instead be cultivated.
K.G. Bopaiah further suggested that elephants should be captured and relocated, railway barricades should be installed and elephant trenches should be constructed.  Former Gram Panchayat President Shanteyanda Ravi Kushalappa appealed for higher compensation to be provided to those affected.
Prominent personalities including Suvin Ganapathy, Manu Somaiah, C.G. Kushalappa, C.P. Muthanna, Bharat, Kudiyara Muthappa, Nanda Belliappa, K.P. Chandrakala, Suresh Chakravarthy, Vishwa, Ravi Thammaiah, members of the Jamma Male team and others shared several suggestions and inputs with the Forest Minister.
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