Thiruvananthapuram:
Fifteen persons have been killed in attacks by wild elephants in the last four years in Nilambur and Malabar forest regions of Kerala following which the Kerala government has put solar fencing and trenches to check increasing incidents of man-animal conflict.
More than 50 km length of solar fencing at a total cost of Rs 42.36 lakhs and six trenches at an outlay of Rs 37 crores were constructed in the forest borders in the region, state Assembly was today informed.
Food Minister C Divakaran, replying on behalf of Forest Minister Binoy Viswam on a calling attention motion of Arayadan Muhammed (Congress), said 15 persons had been killed in the region by wild elephants during the past four years.
The government would also consider the demand of Muhammed to empower the officials with authority to carry out 'mock firing' to scare away the elephants, he said.
Muhammed had said that for self-defence there was nothing wrong even to 'hunt' the animal. But, to save the human life and properties, instructions should be given to forest officials at least to carry out mock firing.