Man-Animal Conflict: Rahul Gandhi recalls Wayanad situation, says compensation should be speedy

A day after violent protests erupted in Wayanad over a wildlife attack that killed three people, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday briefed district officials on the situation and urged them to immediately provide assurances to the victims’ kin compensation. Rahul Gandhi represents Wayanad in the Lok Sabha.

He arrived in Varanasi after an abrupt halt to the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in the wake of strong protests by local residents seeking a permanent solution to the human-animal conflict in the area. constituency. Speaking to reporters after a review meeting with Kalpetta district officials, the MP said he had no intention of straying from the main issue of human-animal conflict by venturing into politics.

Gandhi, however, raised the issue of lack of facilities at Wayanad Medical College Hospital and said it was a critical issue. Earlier in the day, he met the grieving families of Aji, Paul and Prajesh, who were killed in three separate wildlife attacks in two months.

Speaking to the media, Paul’s daughter Sona said Gandhi had assured them that he would take care of her education and study the requirements for Wayanad Medical College. Aji’s daughter Arna expressed similar sentiments about the urgency of improving medical facilities in the mountains.

Meanwhile, Majesh, brother of Prajesh who was killed in the tiger attack, urged Gandhi to improve road connectivity in the area so that people can reach hospitals faster in case of emergencies. Revealing details of the meeting, Gandhi said he had asked the district administration to immediately pay various compensation amounts announced for those who died or were injured.

“The medical school is a key issue. I mentioned to the government today that I don’t understand why it is taking so long to develop and establish a (well-equipped) medical school here. It is not a complicated matter. It is It’s a tragedy that even though people have lost their lives or been injured, they don’t have a decent medical school here,” he said. The Wayanad MP added that he has written to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and requested him to once again take steps to improve the facilities of the medical college.

“It is important that the government covers the cost of treatment for those injured in the recent series of attacks,” he suggested.

The Congress leader stressed the importance of timely payment of compensation.

“When a family loses a member, especially a poor family, it is not enough to give them compensation for a long time. The compensation needs to come immediately because they need the money immediately,” Gandhi said.

The veteran politician also said he wanted to brief the Prime Minister directly on what people in his constituency were going through.

Gandhi spent more than 20 minutes at the home of Aji (42), who was trampled to death by an elephant wearing a radio collar, in Mananthavady area of ​​Wayanad district, an incident that triggered massive protests last week. He then visited the residence of Paul, the forest department ecotourism guide who was killed by a wild ivory near Kuluva Island on Friday, and stayed there for some time.

The MP also visited the home of Prajesh, who was killed in a tiger attack recently. Attacks on livestock and humans have been frequently reported in Wayanad in recent times.

Meanwhile, BJP leader and Union Minister of State Muraleedharan called Gandhi a tourist in his own constituency. “He (Gandhi) goes there once every five or six months. But he is also supposed to take care of the issues of the constituency which has been facing man-animal conflict for over a week. Rahul Gandhi has not taken time out to visit so far and A forest guard died because he was not getting the required medical assistance,” Muraledharan told the media.

Muraleedharan said Rahul Gandhi should look after his constituency and ensure that basic medical facilities are there, especially since it is a place where human-animal conflicts are often reported. Forest officials are yet to capture the radio-collared elephant that trampled Aji to death and is reportedly still somewhere deep in the forests of Karnataka.

Meanwhile, another incident of tiger attack on cattle was reported from Wayanad.

A protest called by multiple political parties against the government’s inaction over rising wildlife attacks in the region turned violent in Phulpalli town on Saturday with agitators damaging a forest department vehicle.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)