Animal-human conflict: Compensation up

http://newstodaynet.com/newsindex.php?id=24329%20&%20section=6

Tamilnadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today said relief measures provided for the losses owing to animal- human conflicts have been enhanced. Making a statement under the Tamilnadu  Legislative Assembly Rule 110 in the Assembly,  the Chief Minister said the payment of compensation to the people for loss of life or permanent disability owing  to such a conflict would be enhanced from Rs 1.50 lakh to Rs three lakh.

Further the government would also enhance the payment of compensation for losses of crops, property and cattle. Under this, the government would increase the payment of compensation for crop loss from Rs15,000 to Rs 25,000 per acre and Rs 500 for a damaged coconut tree. The Chief Minister announced a steep hike in compensation for houses damaged by the wild animals. The government had been paying a compensation of Rs 5,000 per house irrespective of the extent of damages. Announcing a change in the structure, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said the compensation for a fully damaged concrete and tiled house was increased to Rs 35,000 and that of fully damaged huts to Rs 10,000. She said Rs 5,000 would be paid to concrete and tiled houses which suffer severe damage in attack by wild animals and Rs 2,000 to huts. 'Houses which were partially damaged in the attack will be paid a compensation of Rs 1,500', she added. She said the compensation for the loss of cattle has been hiked to Rs 2,000 from the present Rs 1,000 and that of shepherds and pigs to Rs 1,500 and Rs 1,000 respectively. The compensation for the loss of poultry was also hiked from Rs 30 to Rs 100 per hen. The hike in compensation followed an announcement made in the 2011-12 Budget presented by Finance Minister O Panneerselvam on 4 August. He said population growth and industrialisation have resulted in fragmentation of animal habitat. 'As a result, wild animals often stray out of the forests leading to animal-human conflicts', he said. This was a complex problem to be managed by a multi-pronged strategy of habitat improvement, trap crop management by growing crops preferred by wild animals as fodder inside the forest boundary, capacity building of the villagers, awareness creation and timely payment of compensation to the victims for the loss of human life and damage to agricultural crops and property.