The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked the State Government to submit an action-taken report (ATR) over the consistent man-animal conflict that has caused deaths of both humans and wild animals in Kendrapada district over decades.
The NHRC has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary in this regard on a petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy. Tripathy told the top human rights body that gravity of man-animal conflict in the district has become so deep that it became a poll plank in the last general election in several villages close to the Bhitarkanika National Park. Estuarine crocodiles and wild boars have been posing life threat in these villages since long, he stated in the petition.
Tripathy also informed the NHRC that the seven-month-long embargo on sea-fishing have added woes to nearly 1 lakh people of seaside villages under the Rajnagar and Mahakalpada Assembly constituencies, who have already been affected by attacks of crocodiles and wild boars and forest laws as well.
Pointing out that the deaths and injuries of women, children and senior citizens and loss of livelihood amount to gross violation of human rights, Tripathy urged the NHRC to direct the Odisha Environment and Forests Department to take permanent solution to the conflict and to pay adequate compensation to the families of the deceased and the injured.