Chakkittappara gram panchayat in Kozhikode, which made a controversial decision to gun down all wild animals straying into human habitations, has decided to intensify protests against the Forest and wildlife department. The decision of the local body, which violates the provisions of the Wildlife Act, evoked strong response from the Forest department which has approached the Government to revoke the status of honorary wildlife warden conferred on the panchayat president.

The panchayat will organise a people's march against the Forest department's indifference towards the human-animal conflict and also against the recent recommendation to cancel the president's power as an honorary wildlife warden. The representatives said that they will approach the High Court if any action is taken against the panchayat head.

The residents will march to the Forest Range office at Peruvannamuzhi on March 24. Special grama sabha meetings of all the wards will be held on March 19, 20, and 21. A panchayat committee meeting was held on Thursday, and a meeting of empanelled shooters was also held the same day.

Chakkittappara lies near Perambra, in Kozhikode and a major portion comes under the reserve forest area of Peruvannamuzhi Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary. Out of the 15 wards, 10 wards are located along the border of the forest. Wild animal attacks pose constant threat to human life and farming, panchayat authorities said.

Following the panchayat committee's decision to kill wild animals which enter human habitations, Chief Wildlife Warden Pramod G Krishnan sent a note to the Additional Chief Secretary (Forest and Wild Life Department ) to recommend action against the president. The letter said that only conditional powers had been vested with local body chiefs to order the killing of wild boars that posed a threat to the life and property of people. The letter said that the grama panchayat's decision to indiscriminately kill all wild animals, including the endangered ones and those under the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, is unconstitutional, challenging the rule of law and misleading the public.

Panchayat president K Sunil said that they have been forced to take such a decision as a last resort because the people cannot go out without fear. "Our people's lives are under threat. 14,000 hectares of land under the grama panchayat are close to the forest. So, 10 wards are under the wild animal threat. Wild boar, pigs and elephants are entering the farm lands and residential areas on a daily basis," he said.

Rajan Varkey, a native farmer from Chakkittappara, said that the number of wild animals entering human habitats has increased in recent years. "Chakkittappara is a grama panchayat which is surrounded by Peruvannamuzhi Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary. Though there are fences on the border lines, which are meant to protect people from the wild animals, animals destroy fences and enter our areas. Farmers are helpless, there is no way to defend themselves," Rajan Varkey said.