Do tribal lives not matter, ask Aralam farm residents

In 10 years, 14 people have died in wild jumbo attacks in region; understaffed RRT, stalled construction of elephant wall blamed for conflicts

- LAKSHMI ATHIRA @Kannur

A severely understaffed Rapid Response Team (RRT), stalled construction of the elephant wall, and unchecked undergrowth turning abandoned residential areas into dense forests have made Aralam farm ideal for wild elephants.

As a result, the region, home to 1,717 tribal families, has witnessed frequent human-wildlife conflicts that have left 20 dead since 2014, two of them on Sunday.

Frustrated residents blame the state government for failing to protect the tribal community. "There are hundreds of vacant houses in different blocks of Aralam. Outsiders may assume people have abandoned government-funded homes, but the reality is they left fearing for their lives. Over the past decade, 14 people have died in wild elephant attacks, while crop destruction and property damage have become a daily ordeal," said Jibeesh Usha Balan, a resident and director of 'Aneki Sambhavana Hein', a documentary on wild elephant attacks in Aralam farm.

Criticism against the stalled elephant wall construction is also growing. "A few years ago, when an elephant from Aralam strayed into Kanichar and killed a person from the general category, the government acted swiftly to build a protective wall. However, here, despite so many deaths, construction remains unfinished. Of the planned 10-km-long stretch, only 3 km has been completed. Do tribal lives not matter," asked Jibeesh.