Erode farmers demand action on human-wildlife conflict in Talavadi Hills

Farmers outside the taluk office at Talavadi in Erode on Tuesday, where they submitted a list of demands.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Urging the district administration to implement effective measures to prevent human-wildlife conflict, including the installation of rail track fencing in Talavadi Hills, farmers in large numbers submitted a petition to Tahsildar Subramani on Tuesday.

Led by Kumara Ravikumar of Namathu Nilam Namathe Vivasayigal Nala Sangam, over 2,000 farmers, traders and residents gathered at the Talavadi taluk office to raise their concerns. They reported that many villages in the hill area border forest areas that come under the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) and the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve (BRT) in the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka. Wild animals, particularly elephants and boars, venture out of the forest and cause extensive damage to crops frequently, besides causing loss of human lives, they added.

The farmers pressed for the installation of rail-track fencing along the forest boundary, besides deepening and maintaining elephant-proof trenches to prevent further elephant incursions.

Other demands included an increase in solatium to ₹15 lakh for the families of those killed in elephant attacks, unrestricted access for residents of Mavallam, Devarnatham and Kuliyada villages to the Kuliyada – Dhimbam Ghat Road and permission for village residents to perform rituals at forest temples. They also opposed the proposed relocation of ten villages within the STR comprising 656 families and requested passes to use the Dhimbam Ghat Road round the clock.

The Tahsildar received the petition and assured the farmers that it would be forwarded to higher officials.