Expert committee can decide sites other than Parambikulam for releasing Arikompan, says Kerala HC

The expert committee formed for deciding on translocating Arikompan can decide on alternative sites other than Parambikulam, said a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court.

The expert committee formed for deciding on translocating Arikompan, the wild elephant which often enters the human settlements in Chinnakanal in Munnar, can decide on alternative sites other than Parambikulam for releasing the animal, said a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court.

The Bench consisting of Justices A. K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and P. Gopinath, which considered the case at a special sitting of the court held on Wednesday, approved the government’s plea seeking more time to decide on the issue.

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The surveillance and safety measures suggested for protecting people from the elephant shall continue. The movement of the animal shall be closely monitored, the Court directed the government.

The Bench asked the government to make suggestions on alternative sites for translocating the animal to the expert committee formed for the purpose in a sealed cover.

The direction of the court to keep the information on possible locations for releasing the animal guarded attains significance in the wake of public resentment in areas that were considered for the release of the elephant. A few legislators and civic representatives had announced protests and hunger strikers against the reported move to release the animal in their localities.

The government can go ahead with the task of translocating the animal to a suitable site without waiting for an order from the court if the proposal is cleared by the expert committee, the court clarified.