Congress MP Rahul Gandhi meets the family of Ajeesh, a forest watchman who was killed in an elephant attack, in Wayanad, Kerala, Sunday, Feb 18, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who on Sunday visited the houses of those recently killed in wild animal attacks at Wayanad in Kerala, urged the government to enhance the early warning systems on wild animals entering human settlements.
The Wayanad MP also lamented over the poor health infrastructure of the high-range district.
Rahul took a break from the ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra to visit his constituency Wayand in view of the strong protest over the back to back wild animal attacks that claimed three lives in three weeks time.
After visiting the families of the victims and holding discussions with the district officials, Rahul said that higher compensations need to be given quickly to the dependents of victims of wild animal attacks.
He also said that more rapid response teams need to be deployed as part of enhancing early warning systems. Inter-state coordination among Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu needs to be improved in dealing with wild animal issues, he said.
The Congress top leader also said that it was a tragedy that even as many people were losing lives and many getting injured in wild animal attacks, the district was yet to have a medical college hospital with proper facilities. He said he had written to the Chief Minister on the matter and would take up again.
The daughter of Paul, who was killed in a wild elephant attack on Friday, said that Rahul assured all sorts of support for the family, including her education.
BJP accused Rahul of failing in addressing the concerns of the people of his constituency. BJP leader and minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan said that Rahul was like a tourist who visits Wayanad occasionally.
Meanwhile, various churches of Wayanad staged protests on Sunday against the frequent man-animal conflicts that claimed many lives and caused damage to crops.
The police registered four cases in connection with the violent protest by people at Pulpally near Mananthavady in Wayanad on Saturday.