Kollam: The state Human Rights Commission has intervened in the man-animal conflict prevalent in Eastern Kollam, directing the rapid response team to conduct regular patrolling in the area. The areas sharing a boundary with Kulathupuzha and Aryankavu forests are under constant threat of attack by wild animals as they prowl villages in search of water during the summer season. The proposal for solar fencing has also not been effectively implemented.
The Commission received a complaint filed by K. Ramani of Kulathupuzha on the disturbance caused by the monkeys in the area. The Punalur divisional forest officer submitted a report stating that the wild animal attack had been restricted.
The public, mostly dependent on agriculture for their living, are concerned about keeping their domestic animals including cattle safe from the leopard. Panchayat authorities have also put forward proposals to install surveillance cameras along vulnerable spots in Ittiva and Vayala.
The authorities including the Anchal and Kadakkal police that are actively in the field for the protection of the public have imposed restrictions on jobs including rubber tapping which usually happens in the wee hours. The residents were also directed to keep the doors shut and to keep indoors after sunset. It is suspected that the leopard had entered the residential area from Anakkulam forest under the Kulathupuzha reserve forest.
The areas in Eastern Kollam including Punalur, Kulathupuzha, Pathanapuram, Anchal, Aryankavu, and Thenmala have witnessed several incidents of man-animal conflict gravely affecting human life. The infiltration of swines and elephants pose a threat to agriculture in these areas. The proposals of constituting rapid response teams and solar fencing have not hit the target, keeping the lives of people in these villages sharing a border with the forest under threat.
