Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has sought to address the pressing concerns surrounding human-animal conflict and promote better coexistence between humans and wildlife.

Disposing of a petition filed by the Karnataka Growers Federation, the Court issued essential guidelines to effectively manage the issue of human-animal conflict. As part of the directive, the Court has emphasised the establishment of Grievances Cells in each taluk.

Justice Prasanna B. Varale and Justice M.G.S. Kamal, in their ruling, have mandated that the State Government set up dedicated Grievances Cells in every taluk. These Cells will serve as a platform for affected individuals to report instances of forest animals encroaching upon human habitats. Additionally, the Court has instructed the creation of Elephant Corridors to facilitate the safe movement of elephants.

To mitigate the conflict between humans and animals, the High Court has outlined several measures in its guidelines. These include providing adequate human resources, vehicles and essential facilities to Forest Department personnel tasked with preventing such conflicts.

The establishment of 24×7 Control Rooms is also mandated, with the capacity to promptly issue warning messages to citizens residing in areas prone to animal invasions. Furthermore, these control rooms should maintain communication links with nearby health centres to ensure immediate medical care for individuals injured during the human-animal conflicts.

The guidelines also call for quarterly meetings among senior Forest officials to address the challenges associated with such conflicts and devise appropriate strategies.

Forest officials and Tahsildar are obligated to conduct meetings every two months and engage in discussions to tackle this issue effectively. The Court emphasised the importance of raising public awareness about the Grievances Cells through public announcements and notices displayed at all Gram Panchayats.