A high-level meeting chaired by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday decided to enhance the Forest department’s camera surveillance network for monitoring wildlife movement in preserves abutting human habitations in the State.
Mr. Vijayan had convened an emergency meeting of top forest and police officials in the wake of the violent protests in Wayanad following the fatal wild elephant attack on Paul, 52, an eco-tourism guide at Pulpally, on Friday.
He also reviewed the law and order situation in the Wayanad district after the executive magistrate clamped prohibitory orders until Monday.
A communique from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said the government would urgently install 250 cameras along forest borders and wildlife pathways.
Mr. Vijayan also ordered the round-the-clock patrolling of State forests contiguous with wildlife preserves in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Mr. Vijayan directed the police, Forest department, Revenue department and local self-government institutions (LSGIs) to work in tandem to warn residents of wildlife presence.
He also asked them to create neighbourhood-level WhatsApp groups to notify residents about wild animal movements and fit patrol vehicles with public address systems to alert residents about incursions in real time.
Chief Secretary V. Venu, State Police Chief Shaik Darvesh Saheb, Additional Director General of Police, Intelligence, Manoj Abraham, Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, M.R. Ajith Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Forest Department, K. R. Jyothi Lal, Chief of Forest Department, Ganga Singh, Additional Principal Chief Conservator, P. Pukezhanthi, Chief Wild Life Warden, Jayaprasad and Principal Secretary, Revenue, Tinku Biswal attended the meeting.
