KGF delegation meets MoEF&CC Minister Bhupender Yadav in Delhi, appeals to address human-elephant conflict

A delegation from the Karnataka Growers’ Federation (KGF) met with Union Minister for Environment, Forests, and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav in Delhi on Monday and urged him to take concrete measures to put an end to the human-elephant conflict in the Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, and Kodagu districts.

The delegation, led by Halase Shivanna, president of the KGF, conveyed to the Minister the problems faced by growers in the Malnad region due to the conflict. Many people have been killed by elephants, and the animals have damaged crops, causing huge losses, he said.

The Minister told the delegation that he was well aware of the problem and assured the KGF of the Union government’s support in addressing the issue. He also mentioned that his department had reserved funds to tackle the problem.

The delegation also met with the Additional Director General of the MoEF&CC, Ramesh K. Pandey, regarding this issue. The officer informed the delegation that the ministry had gathered information about the conflict prevailing in eight states and had prepared a comprehensive action plan to address the situation. He also stated that a joint meeting involving representatives from the Centre, Karnataka State, and KGF would be held in Bengaluru in the third week of May this year. The delegation handed over a detailed report on the human-elephant conflict to the officer.

The delegation included KGF vice president K.K. Vishwanath, Chikkamagaluru District Planters’ Association president K.U. Rathish, Mudigere taluk unit secretary K.D. Manohar, and a representative of Hassan district unit, M.G. Sachin.