Sakleshpur MLA and State JD(S) president H.K. Kumaraswamy has appealed to Forest Minister Umesh Katti to hold a meeting on the elephant menace in Hassan district. Mr. Kumaraswamy met the Minister in Bengaluru on Wednesday and requested him to invite representatives of coffee planters and other stakeholders to discuss the issue.
More than 60 wild elephants had been roaming in parts of Sakleshpur, Alur and Belur taluks, raiding agricultural crops and attacking people. The residents had been affected badly by such incidents. Many planters had abandoned work in their estates, while workers had been at loss without work, the legislator said in his memorandum.
Further, he said more than 70 people had been killed in elephant attacks in the last 10 years and in the last nine months alone nine people were killed. Understanding the seriousness of the situation, the government should hold the meeting to find out a permanent solution to the elephant menace, he said.
He also appealed to the Minister to revise the compensation paid to farmers who lost their crops in elephant raids.
