T’puram: Forest minister Shibu Baby John said that the compensation amount for people affected by human-wildlife conflicts will likely be increased by 50%. He also said that the forest department will hold adalats next month to settle compensation and insurance claims of people affected by human-wildlife conflict and clear no-objection certificates (NOCs) for farmers.The minister was speaking at Sahajeevanam, a meeting of representatives of panchayats bordering forests as part of human-wildlife conflict mitigation, organized by the forest department and the local self-govt department on Tuesday.“NOCs for farmers often take three years. We have now decided that if an application is received and there are no legal hurdles, it should be cleared within three months. If a detailed survey is required, it should be issued within six months, failing which action will be taken against the forest official concerned. A circular has been issued,” John said.He added that benefits are not reaching on time in many cases. “We have decided to hold adalats in Aug. An insurance scheme is being considered for panchayats bordering forests. Another adalat is also being planned for those with grievances related to occurrence reports. Minor cases filed by the forest department against people can be disposed of,” the minister said. The forest department staff files occurrence reports to start an investigation of an alleged forest offence.Stating that the forest department is planning containment, mitigation and compensation as a strategy to handle human-wildlife conflict, John said that a three-tier method will be followed in areas affected by the conflict.“This includes AI-led light and sound solutions, hanging fences and large walls. These methods will be implemented in extreme hotspots,” he said.He said that 12 landscapes have been identified, of which nine panchayats are classified as very high and 21 as high- conflict areas.John said that natural solutions will also be explored, especially to prevent elephants from entering habitation. He added that wild boar and monkeys are another issue. “Monkeys are in Schedule1. After our request to downgrade it, the Union minister has promised to put it in Schedule 2,” he said.After panchayat representatives raised the issue of difficulty in sourcing sharp shooters registered from anywhere in the state, the minister said that “panchayats can engage sharp shooters irrespective of where they are empanelled”.“It’s not necessary that these shooters should be registered in the respective panchayats only. There are no such specifications in the order,” he said.John also urged the panchayats to stand with the forest department so that effective containment can be done to prevent human-wildlife conflict.“We are studying the reasons for wildlife entering villages and are checking if it’s because of loss of habitat, grasslands or lack of water and resources, etc,” he said.The forest department is also going to set up response teams at the panchayat level, train them, and will also post a liaison officer at each conflict-prone panchayat to manage the intrusion of monkeys and peacocks, John said, adding that the local body- level peoples vigilance committee will be strengthened.
