KOZHIKODE: The attack by wild elephants have again made the life of farmers in hilly regions of the district miserable. In the past one week alone, crops were destroyed in many parts of Kavilumpara and Narippatta panchayats. Farmers in the area alleged that officials were not showing interest. In addition, the lack of employees to guard the forest region was adding to the situation. According to Karshaka Sangham (a collective of the farmers in the region) Kavilumpara village secretary A.R. Vijayan, despite the order of the Forest Department to appoint 17 forest guards in the Kuttiady range, only seven were present.
Since the area was largely agriculture land over nearly 300 acres with people preferring not to stay, humans were not hugely affected, he said. “Karingad in Kavilumpara panchayat and Irumpumthadam and Kambalachola in Naripatta panchayat are the most affected. Coconut, arecanut and plantain are the common crops in the region. We have informed E.K. Vijayan MLA, who has promised to visit the area on Tuesday, along with Karshaka Sangham district president K.P. Kunhammedkutty master,” said Mr Vijayan.
The farmers have also demanded that a rapid action force like that in Thamarassery was the need of the hour, till walls came up or a ditch was dug. They also took out a protest march to the Forest office on Saturday. However, divisional forest officer K.K. Sunil Kumar said that the appointment of the forest guards were pending due to the delay in the public service commission list. He added that as an immediate step, solar fencing would be installed in the region.
