Madikeri: Supreme Court advocate and Congress Spokesperson Brijesh Kalappa has urged the State Government to announce a compensation of Rs. 1 lakh for the livestock killed by wild animals. 

In a press release, he has said that the Government gives paltry sum as compensation for the death of animals in Kodagu and to obtain this amount, people have to run from pillar to post. The people of the district have already been tormented by natural calamities and every year, their crops are raided by wild animals. 

Now the residents are being affected by wild tigers and leopards and apart from taking human lives, many cattle heads have fallen prey to the tigers. “Farmers of Kodagu depend on cattle for milk and manure and if those animals are taken prey, the Forest Department grants compensation that is equal to giving alms. At least Rs. 1 lakh must be given as compensation,” he said. 

The livestock are purchased by farmers by obtaining bank loans and of late many buffaloes and cattle heads are being killed by wild tigers. In such a situation, how can the farmers be expected to gain income from the livestock and also to pay loans, he asked. 

Brijesh Kalappa has added that the loans taken by farmers must be waived off in case the animals are killed by wild animals. ‘When the Government has failed to protect the livestock from wild attacks, the least it can do is to waive the loan amount and also grant Rs. 1 lakh as compensation,” he added. 

At present, the Government pays a compensation of Rs. 7.5 lakh if a human being is killed in a wild attack. This amount must be raised to Rs. 25 lakh as the entire family depends on the person’s income and with his/her death, the livelihood is destroyed, he opined.