Concerns ignored as politicians come & go: Nilambur farmers

ELECTION fever has done nothing to ease the pain of the farmers of Nilambur, who have for long been feeling the heat of human-wildlife conflict.

- MANISHA V C S @Malappuram

ELECTION fever has done nothing to ease the pain of the farmers of Nilambur, who have for long been feeling the heat of human-wildlife conflict. All seven panchayats and one municipality that make up the constituency share a forest border. With no end to their woes, rural residents, who depend primarily on agriculture, live with a sense of constant dread.

On the banks of the Karimpuzha River, residents of Athikapp, near Karulai, have been spending sleepless nights due to regular elephant attacks.

"I lost over 60 areca palms in a single elephant attack. The animals destroy the trees for no reason at all. All the rubber trees you see here have been replanted. Elephants, wild boars and monkeys cross the river into our properties, where they have a free hand," says Shibu, who owns one-and-a-half acres of land along the banks of the river.