Kottayam (Kerala), Mar 25 (PTI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday reached out to the high-range communities ahead of the April 9 Assembly polls and said his government has taken legal and financial measures to safeguard their lives and livelihoods, despite hurdles posed by the central laws.
Addressing a press conference at Kanjirappally, he also denied the opposition UDF’s claims of the government acting unilaterally over the rehabilitation initiatives in the landslide-hit Wayanad. He accused the opposition of spreading misinformation instead of engaging constructively.
Vijayan said human-wildlife conflict in the hilly regions has emerged as a serious social issue directly affecting people’s lives and livelihoods in the state.
“The state government has been continuously intervening in this matter. However, the Centre’s Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, remains a major hurdle, limiting the state’s ability to act independently,” he said.
Despite repeated requests, the Centre has not permitted Kerala to declare wild boars as vermin.
“The law was brought in by the Congress, and the BJP government has failed to introduce necessary amendments, further complicating the issue,” he alleged.
Vijayan said that within these limitations, the state government has moved forward without abandoning the people.
He pointed out that the Assembly had passed amendments to wildlife and forest laws, empowering the Chief Wildlife Warden to take action against animals that pose threats to human life. However, these bills are yet to receive central approval.
Highlighting relief measures, he said compensation for families of those killed in wildlife attacks has been increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 14 lakh.
Assistance of Rs four lakh has also been extended to victims of deaths caused by attacks from snakes, bees, and similar incidents.
Financial aid has been ensured for those suffering serious injuries or disabilities in the human-wildlife conflict.
On the issue of rehabilitation efforts in Wayanad, Vijayan said they were not unilateral as claimed by the opposition and that it was involved in discussions on various aspects such as housing design, execution of construction, fund mobilisation and cost per house.
Despite being aware of these deliberations, the opposition later chose to back out, Vijayan alleged.
The government had taken the lead in the rehabilitation process as it was a responsibility that needed to be fulfilled collectively.
He also said the concept of a township was not imposed by the government, but emerged from the desire of landslide survivors of Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas in Wayanad to live together as a community.
Taking a dig at the Congress, which leads the opposition UDF bloc, Vijayan asked where the houses promised by the party for Wayanad rehabilitation were, alleging that its commitments remained unfulfilled.
He accused the opposition of backing out of its offer to contribute to the rehabilitation efforts and questioned the decision of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key UDF constituent, to move ahead with a separate project.
He also sought to know what happened to the funds collected by the Congress in this regard.
The opposition in the state was in a “helpless situation”, he said, claiming it had nothing substantial to criticise the government with.
In the recent Assembly session, the opposition was unwilling even to participate in discussions or raise fact-based criticisms, he claimed.
He sought to reject allegations against the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), terming them as baseless, and said people were aware of the development works undertaken through the agency over the past decade. Projects worth Rs 62,000 crore were taken up through KIIFB in five years and development initiatives had reached all constituencies.
Vijayan also claimed that Kerala remained one of the least corrupt states in the country, attributing it to the governance approach of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), which, he said, followed a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption.
Stating that people were closely watching the developments, he said the LDF continued to enjoy public support and remained committed to standing with the people.
On the buffer zone issue, Vijayan said the state adopted a stand to protect inhabited areas and succeeded in securing a favourable verdict from the Supreme Court, excluding human settlements from mandatory buffer zones around protected forests.
Further, he said protecting public sector industries, supporting rubber farmers, and ensuring legal and financial interventions for safeguarding highrange communities reflect the government’s pro-people approach.
“Kerala presents a governance model where development and social justice go hand in hand,” he added.
Turning to the rubber sector, Vijayan claimed the crisis faced by farmers has its roots in national policies.
He pointed to the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement implemented by the Centre in 2010, which opened up imports and severely impacted Kerala’s rubber farmers.
“This policy was introduced by the Congress-led Centre and continued by the BJP government,” he said.
In contrast, the LDF government in Kerala has taken steps to protect farmers by increasing the support price of rubber from Rs 180 to Rs 200 per kg.
The CM also said that Kerala Rubber Limited is being set up at Velloor with an investment of Rs 1,050 crore to develop a value-added rubber products industrial hub across 164 acres. PTI LGK SA
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