Excise Minister K. Gopalaiah met the people staging a protest over the death of a 32-year-old man in an elephant attack at Hebbanahalli past midnight on November 1 and promised a special meeting with the Chief Minister to discuss the issue.
Following the death of Manu, 32, in the elephant attack on November 1 morning, elected representatives and farmers staged a protest with the dead body. They had resolved not to carry out the final rites of the deceased until they received an assurance from the Karnataka Government of a permanent solution.
They demanded that the Minister, who is in charge of the district, visit the spot. However, the Minister had left for Bengaluru after participating in the Karnataka Rajyotsava programme in Hassan. The protest continued till late in the night.
The Minister reached the village past midnight and conveyed his condolences to the family of Manu. He interacted with Sakleshpur MLA H.K. Kumaraswamy and former MLA H.M. Vishwanath, who led the protest.
The Minister said he went to Bengaluru to speak to the CM on the issue. “I have brought the issue to his notice. So far, 77 persons have died due to elephant attacks in Hassan district. In the last two years, 11 people have died. The government is aware of the gravity of the problem,” he said.
CM speaks to protesters
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai spoke to protesters on Tuesday November 1 night and promised a permanent solution to the man-elephant conflict in Hassan. Mr. Bommai contacted former MLA and BJP leader H.M. Vishwanath, who was at the protest site, over the phone and conveyed that the government had taken the issue seriously. He requested the villagers to withdraw their protest and promised to send a team of senior officers of the Forest Department to look into their suggestions and come up with a solution.
The CM told the protesters that he had told Excise Minister K. Gopalaiah to go to the site of the protest immediately, and appealed to them to end the protest. He said the government would take steps on a war footing to stop elephant attacks.
Revenue Minister R. Ashok also spoke to the protesters and appealed to them to end the protest.
The protest was withdrawn late at night after Mr. Gopalaiah met them and conveyed the government’s response.
Karnataka plans to relocate elephants from Sakleshpur
The State Government has already written to the Centre to shift or relocate elephants in a phased manner. The CM would visit Delhi and meet the Minister concerned to get the clearance.
“All 80-90 elephants cannot be shifted at a time. It has to be done in a phased manner. The work on putting up a barricade will go on simultaneously. A team of senior officers will visit the elephant-affected areas and submit a report. Later, the CM will hold a meeting with officers, elected representatives and farmers from the region to find a solution,” he said.
Manu, 32, died in an elephant attack at Hebbanahalli, in Sakleshpur taluk of Hassan district in Karnataka, on November 1, 2022.
Further, the Minister said the State Government had agreed to enhance compensation for the victims from ₹7.5 lakh to ₹15 lakh. The file is in the Finance Department.
“The file will be cleared in a couple of days. The family of the victim will get the revised amount. Besides that, Manu’s wife will get a job in Sakleshpur. I have instructed the Deputy Commissioner of Hassan to offer her a job,” he said.
Published - November 02, 2022 11:08 am IST
