Expert panel to frame guidelines for compensation in human-wildlife conflict cases in Keralam

The Keralam government has constituted an expert committee to prepare guidelines for determining and providing eligible compensation to people killed or injured in human-wildlife conflict incidents.The Chief Wildlife Warden will head the five-member committee. The member secretary of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, the land revenue commissioner, the director of Animal Husbandry and the director of Agriculture will serve as the members of the panel.The move, which forms part of the United Democratic Front (UDF) government’s 100-day action programme, is aimed at formulating a uniform set of guidelines to help establish clearer criteria for assessing compensation and reduce the need for case-by-case administrative deliberations, thereby preventing delays in disbursements.Timely assistanceSources point out that the families of victims have often faced difficulties in obtaining timely assistance, while questions relating to the nature of the incident, the extent of injury, and the jurisdiction of different departments can complicate the process.The absence of a standardised mechanism has also led to protests and disagreements in affected localities. Besides, disputes between the Forest and Revenue departments over whether an incident occurred on forestland or revenue land have further complicated the assessment process. Such technical and legal questions often result in delays in determining eligibility and calculating the compensation payable to victims.Besides, compensation in individual cases presently often requires specific Cabinet decisions. A uniform mechanism for assessing and disbursing relief could do away with the long-drawn process, an official said. Published - September 22, 2026 07:55 pm IST