AIKS- AIAWU Hold Dharna at Parliament Against Wild Animal and Stray Cattle Menace

September 25, 2024
Press Releases

All India Kisan Sabha and All India Agricultural Workers’ Union today held a dharna at Parliament Street , New Delhi on the issue of human wildlife conflict and menace of stray cattle with the slogans of Protect Life and Livelihood from Wild Animal and Stray Cattle Menace, Stop Evictions in the Name of Elephant Corridors, Tiger Reserves & Wildlife Protection and End Restriction on Cattle Trade. Hundreds of farmers from Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Telangana UP, Delhi and other states participated in dharna .

AIKS General Secretary Vijoo Krishnan inaugurated the dharna and AIKS President Ashok Dhawale, AIAWU General Secretary B Venkat, AIAWU Joint Secretary and Rajya Sabha Member V Sivadasan, AIKS Tamil Nadu Vice-President and Manber of Lok Sabha R Sachithanantham were the main speakers of dharna, AIKS Vice-President Hannan Mollah, AIKS Finance Secretary P Krishnaprasad Kerala Karshaka Sangham Secretary and AIKS Joint Secretary Valsan Panoli and leaders from different states addressed the dharna.

The Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change agreed to meet a delegation in a couple of days.

The demands of dharna was as follow:

Amend The Indian Forest Act 1927, The Wildlife Protection Act 1972, The Forest Conservation Act 1980 to ensure protection of human life, property and livelihood from wild life attack as well as for the protection and preservation of wild life. Enact a separate Law to Protect Lives and Livelihoods.
Ensure that rights of States to declare vermin, sterilisation and other measures for controlling menace of Wild Animals including scientific culling are guaranteed. Remove wild boar from list of Schedule Animals.
Stop arbitrary Elephant Corridors, Tiger Reserves, Wildlife Sanctuaries and Forced Evictions.
Ensure Forest Rights and Community Forest Rights; Stop Violation of FRA and PESA. Ensure electricity to Forest dwellers.
Stop restrictions on cattle trade; Purchase unproductive cattle at market rates. Ensure strong deterrent action on Cow Vigilante groups.
Compensation of Rs.1 crore and Government job to families of people killed by wild animals and Rs.50 lakh for people suffering grievous injuries.
Proper assessment of crop losses by involving Panchayats and Gram Sabhas and adequate compensation.
Clear artificial commercial timber trees and invasive species in a phased manner; promote fruit trees, bamboo in forest areas.
Build trenches, wire-mesh, electric fencing, and early warning system in hot-beds.
Community watch under MGNREGA from dusk to dawn at Rs.1000/day.