Human-wildlife conflict: clamour for relocating resident from Chinnakkanal

Amid escalating threat to human life due to wild animal attacks in Chinnakkanal, which falls under the Devikulam forest range in Munnar, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has welcomed the District Congress Committee’s (DCC) proposal on the relocation of families from 301 Colony, an area worst hit by wild elephants in a rare show of solidarity.

However, the CPI — a major constituent of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) — has opposed the recommendation, stating they will not allow residents to be displaced and demanding instead that the wild elephants be translocated.

In a statement, CPI(M) Idukki District Secretary C.V. Varghese welcomed the proposal made by District Congress Committee (DCC) president C.P. Mathew.

“Mr. Mathew has recommended relocating families from Chinnakkanal to find a permanent solution to the rising wild elephant attacks. We welcome this move and urge the government to take immediate steps to relocate the families,” Mr. Varghese said.

Meanwhile, CPI district secretary K. Salim Kumar said that his party would not permit the relocation of any families from Chinnakkanal. He added that the CPI(M) district secretary’s support for the move was his party’s personal view and did not reflect the stance of the LDF.

“There is no forest land in Chinnakkanal, and the people living in 301 Colony and the surrounding areas hold title deeds issued by the State government. The Forest department plans to evict people from 301 Colony to convert it into a forest. The CPI will oppose any such move to relocate people,” Mr. Kumar said.

‘Hidden agenda’

“When wild elephants enter human habitations, the Forest department must either chase them back into the forest or translocate them. Using wild elephant attacks as a pretext to clear human settlements cannot be allowed; this is a hidden agenda by the land mafia,” Mr. Kumar alleged.

Human settlements were originally permitted in Singukandam, 301 Colony, and the 80-acre area in 2002–2003 by the former A.K. Antony government. Since then, wild elephants have become isolated in Anayirankal, leading to rampant attacks in these zones. Earlier, a former Munnar Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) had submitted a detailed proposal to the Chief Wildlife Warden, urging the government to relocate the families to mitigate the human-wildlife conflict in Chinnakkanal and Munnar.

The threat remains critical for villagers after a wild elephant attack claimed the life of a woman and left her son injured last week.

According to the residents, following the incident, a wild tusker known as ‘Chakkakompan’ and other elephants entered 301 Colony, Singukandam, Chembakathozhukudy, 80-Acre, and Suryanelli in Chinnakkanal. A Forest department rapid response team (RRT) is currently camping in the area to monitor elephant movements. Officials have raised a demand to establish a permanent RRT station at Chinnakkanal to address the escalating human-elephant conflict.