Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran, who convened an all-party meeting at Aralam on Monday, said that key decisions had been taken to prevent wildlife attacks on humans and immediate measures, including driving elephants back into the deep forest, would be adopted.
Addressing the media, the Minister said the number of Rapid Response Teams would be increased, with additional assistance sought from nearby areas. Temporary solar fences would be installed in select locations, with funds allocated from the Disaster Management Fund. Aralam farm authorities have been tasked with clearing undergrowth to control wildlife movement.
Mr. Saseendran said one member from the affected family would be provided with temporary employment next week. He also announced plans to introduce an artificial intelligence-based system to monitor wildlife movement and mitigate their attacks.
Regarding the long-delayed elephant wall project, Mr. Saseendran admitted to lapses and said that construction would begin by the end of February and completed within six months. Previous delays were due to issues in felling trees for the project, but those obstacles had now been resolved. Additionally, solar fencing would be installed as an immediate deterrent.
The Minister, who arrived at the protest site amid growing public outrage, assured the demonstrators that the government was committed to addressing their concerns.
Earlier, the emergency disaster management committee, chaired by District Collector Arun K. Vijayan, decided to provide ₹20 lakh (₹10 lakh for each person) in compensation to the family of Velli and Leela, the tribal couple killed in a wild elephant attack. The first instalment of ₹5 lakh will be distributed to the family on Tuesday. The remaining amount will be released soon.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K. Sudhakaran accused both the Central and State governments of failing to ensure safety of people, attributing the death of the tribal couple to reckless policies and official negligence.
He criticised the Forest department’s failure to prevent wild elephant attacks, particularly pointing out the delay in constructing the elephant-proof wall at Aralam. “Despite repeated pleas from residents to clear the undergrowth, the government remained indifferent. Had these measures been implemented properly, this tragedy could have been avoided,” Mr. Sudhakaran said.
He alleged that the Forest department’s decision on mitigating wildlife conflicts existed only on paper and warned of strong protests by the Congress if the authorities continued to neglect safety.
Mr. Sudhakaran also criticised the Central government for failing to allocate adequate funds for to prevent conflicts with wildlife, arguing that tribal families in Aralam are forced to live in unsafe conditions.
“The government and the Forest department only act when tragedies occur. This must change. Effective measure should be taken to prevent wild animals from straying into human settlements,” he added.
