Mysuru, Oct. 18 (MTY&DM)- A day after a villager was severely injured in a tiger attack at Badagalapura in Saragur taluk, Forest Department officials visited village on Friday to meet residents and address their concerns.

Bandipur Tiger Reserve Director S. Prabhakaran participated in a meeting with villagers. Addressing the gathering, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) leader Badagalapura Nagendra, a local resident, said man-animal conflicts in forest border villages have been rising, leaving farmers fearful and distressed.

He urged the Forest Department to take urgent measures to curb attacks and demanded compensation for victims of animal attacks and crop loss. Nagendra also alleged serious lapses by Forest Department, claiming villagers were kept in the dark regarding tiger-capture operations. Other residents voiced their anger over the Department’s perceived apathy in preventing man-animal conflicts in forest border villages.

Responding to the concerns, Director S. Prabhakaran said the injured villager, Mahadevegowda, is receiving treatment at a hospital, and the Forest Department will bear all medical expenses. He assured villagers that a temporary job would be provided to a family member of the victim and that the Department would support the education of Mahadevegowda’s children. He also announced that a railway barricade will be erected around the village to prevent wild animals from entering human habitats.

Prabhakaran further sought villagers’ cooperation in ongoing tiger capture operations and appealed to them not to venture into farmlands at forest borders, where tigers occasionally stray from adjoining forests.

The meeting was also attended by Saragur Tahsildar Mohan Kumari, Hadanur Gram Panchayat member B.S. Gangadhar and other officials.

CM consoles

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on a two-day official visit to Mysuru, visited BGS Apollo Hospitals in Kuvempunagar on Friday to enquire about Mahadevegowda, who was undergoing surgery. The CM consoled the victim’s family and assured them all help.

Siddaramaiah also directed Mysuru Circle Conservator of Forests Dr. Ravishankar to bear all medical expenses and provide a higher compensation on humanitarian grounds.

District Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa, Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy, K.R. Nagar MLA D. Ravishankar and other officials were present.