Farmers seek dedicated steps to curb man-animal conflict (Coimbatore) Times of India September 29, 2023 Alleging that cultivation was coming down every year in the villages along the forest fringes in the district owing to frequent wild animal intrusions, farmers on Thursday demanded concerted steps to prevent man-animal conflict. At a tripartite meeting held at the district collectorate here on the day, the farmers said scores of villagers had been either abandoning agriculture altogether or reducing their cultivable land over the past few years. The meeting was attended by the farmers, forest department officers and the district administration officials. To prevent further dwindling of agriculture and curb man-animal conflicts, they said, the forest department should deepen the elephant trenches and erect more solar fences. “Farmers should be extended up to 90% subsidy to erect solar fences around their farmlands,” they said. They wanted more water holes to be created in forests to prevent elephants from venturing into villages in search of drinking water. In the case of damage to crops, the farmers said, there was an acute delay on the part of officials to assess the damage and compensate the affected farmers. “This process should be sped up.” Pointing out that several forest fringes didn’t have proper roads for the forest staff to go on vehicle patrolling, the farmers appealed to the authorities to lay roads. They also underlined the need to protect elephant corridors from encroachments. Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati said the government authorities were working on measures to protect the farmers and their land without harming the wild animals. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/farmers-seek-dedicated-steps-to-curb-man-animal-conflict/articleshow/104031909.cms?from=mdr