Kochi: Kerala High Court on Wednesday said that its decision to shift the rogue elephant Arikomban, which has been creating havoc in the Chinnakanal and Shantanpara regions in Idukki for close to two decades, was final and there will not be any change in that.
The court also asked the State Government to implement the same within a week. Referring to the large-scale protest in Parambikulam, where Arikomban was supposed to be relocated to, the court said that it showed how selfish people can be. "Even for helping other people, they are not allowing the transfer of the elephant. This is selfish," the court observed during the trial in the case.
The court also asked the government to find any other place, if Parambikulam is no longer an option.
Meanwhile, Nemara MLA K Babu told reporters that he was happy that the court has decided not to send the jumbo to Parambikulam. "We are happy with the court's pbservation. Even when the court saod that relocation can't be stopped, it has also agreed that shifting to Parambikulam will not be the best option. I have full faith in the Government that it will not take any decision that goes against the wishes of people," he said.
"With this, we will stop the protest. But we are holding a meeting at Nenmara to hear the concernes of people in the region," he added.
Talking to reporters State Forest Minister A K Saseendran said that the High Court's observation puts the ball in the State's court now. "We take a decision considering the direction of the High Court after consultation with legal experts and all stakeholders," he said.
"The court has also said that it will take up the case on April 19. This means the Government has five days to take a decision. We will have detailed deliberations on it," he said.
