Farmers’ body opposes resumption of safari in Nagarhole and Bandipur

Activists from the Federation of State Farmers’ Organisations gathered outside Aranya Bhavan, the Forest Department’s office in Mysuru, on Thursday to voice their opposition to the Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre’s decision to allow resumption of safari operations in Bandipura and Nagarhole forests.

Led by the Federation’s president, Hallikerehundi Bhagyaraj, the farmers gathered outside the Aranya Bhavan premises and raised slogans such as ‘Save Bandipur, Save Nagarhole’, ‘Down with Forest Minister’, and ‘Down with State government’.

The protesters urged the government to withdraw the order and continue the ban on safari operations.

Addressing a gathering on the occasion, Mr. Bhagyaraj said the decision to permit resumption of safari operations was “anti-farmer, anti-wildlife, and anti-forest”. He accused the government of “playing with lives” of the farmers and also alleged that the move was intended to benefit wealthy capitalists by allowing access to recreational facilities inside forests.

Bhagyraj claimed that distressed wildlife, affected by safari disturbances, often stray into human habitations, leading to human-animal conflict and even loss of lives among farmers and their families. He asserted that there have been no reports of such conflicts after safari operations were halted.

Claiming that safari activities disturbed biodiversity, Mr. Bhagyaraj said the loud noises and vehicle movements disoriented wild animals and pushed them towards nearby villages.

He alleged that the decision to allow safaris had been taken without consulting local farmers. He also criticised the district-in-charge Ministers of Mysuru and Chamarajanagar, calling them ineffective and alleging that they failed to consult local stakeholders before the announcement.

He said the Ministers, MLAs, and MPs do not live in forest areas or engage in farming on the forest fringes to be able to understand the risks of wild animals straying into human habitations. “They merely visit forests and return home. It is the farmers living on the forest fringes who are facing the consequences,” he said.

He also criticised the government for not taking stringent measures to address crop losses caused by wild animals and said there was no scientific compensation mechanism in place. He also termed the existing compensation of ₹20 lakh for deaths due to human-animal conflict as inadequate, demanding ₹1 crore compensation and a government job for a family member in such cases.