Kodagu: Veena Achaiah, a Former member of the Legislative Council said that due to the negligence of the Government and the Forest Department, the tiger menace is increasing in District.
Despite the loss of six human lives and the death of many cattle in the last two years, the Government has not woken up and is behaving as if the lives of the people of Kodagu are of no value.
At a press conference in Madikeri, Veena Achaiah levelled allegations against Government and said that while wild elephants are the habitat of plantations, tigers are feeding on human beings. It is a tragedy that the Government is aware of this but no action has been taken. Crores of Rupees come to the Forest Department for the conservation of forests and wildlife, but wildlife is invading inhabited areas in search of food. There is a BJP-led Government at the Centre and in the State. For the last 25 years, the BJP candidates have become MLAs and MPs but no one has taken the issue of wildlife attacks plaguing Kodagu seriously and tried for a permanent solution,” she said.
“How right it is for people’s representatives, who are supposed to get work done by the authorities, to put forward provocative demands such as taking the law into their own hands,” she asked.
Questioning how many meetings the MLAs have held with Senior Officials of the Forest Department, Veena Achaiah said, “What kind of recommendations have been made for a permanent solution to the problem. Have the MPs discharged their responsibility on the issue of wildlife, whether they are MPs only for Mysuru, she questioned.
She further questioned, “They need votes of the people of Kodagu, yet why no response to the problems here? Despite several tiger attacks, not even once has the MP displayed the greatness of visiting and consoling the villagers. A special meeting of villagers and Forest Officials has not been convened to chalk out the plan. In other Districts, local representatives who respond immediately in case of wildlife attacks will argue on behalf of the villagers. But the farming community of Kodagu is not getting the support of the people’s representatives here,” she said.
