A delegation comprising the Environment Ministers of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, and Jharkhand will meet Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, and demand the timely release of Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) funds.
The decision to meet the Union Minister was taken at the Minister Engagement Programme which was held on the sidelines of the International Conference on Human-Elephant Conflict Management-2024 (ICHECM- 2024).
Presiding over a Ministerial-level meeting, Karnataka Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre suggested that all participating ministers submit a petition to the Union Minister regarding the release of CAMPA funds for railway barricades.
Kerala to lead
Kerala Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran said that he would lead this initiative.
During the discussion on measures taken in other States to address the issues of the invasive Lantana and Senna spectabilis trees, the Ministers agreed that continuous eradication of Lantana was the solution.
It was also discussed that opportunities should be provided for certain tribal communities, who create decorative items and wildlife replicas from Lantana, to come forward and remove Lantana.
Mr. Khandre while presiding over a meeting with farmers during the conference said that the government will review the suggestion to provide insurance to people living near forest areas. He said it would be discussed and decided upon in a high-level meeting.
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar participating in the inaugural ceremony of the conference said that the Forest Department should have to re-look at starting khedda operations.
Highest number
“Karnataka has the highest number of elephants in the country. The Forest Departments used to use khedda to capture elephants. Officials need to look into this age-old practice. We need to ensure that animals and farmers co-exist,” he said.
He added that there are frequent man-elephant conflicts in his Assembly constituency Kanakapura and that he is very well aware of these issues. “This is a big issue in Karnataka. The experts need to deliberate on ways to reduce loss of lives in human-elephant conflicts,” he added.
