Govt prioritising swift compensation for victims of human-elephant conflict: Rizwana

Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan has reaffirmed the government's commitment to promoting peaceful human-elephant coexistence, saying that streamlining and revising current regulations is underway to ensure prompt and accessible compensation for individuals impacted by the attacks of elephants.

She emphasised the importance of taking immediate measures to support the affected farmers, said a ministry press release. 

Joining virtually last night (31 August) in a review meeting organized to determine actions for resolving human-elephant conflict, Rizwana, also the adviser for the Ministry of Water Resources, delivered her remarks as chair of the session.

She stressed the need for timely measures to ensure the survival of elephants. To that end, she also put forth the importance of activating Elephant Response Teams with skilled individuals from local communities, and equipping them with walkie-talkies and other necessary tools. 

She also highlighted the urgency of planting elephant-friendly trees.

In the meeting, the adviser further said that during the Boro season, additional manpower must be deployed under special arrangements.

She also called for increased participation from local residents and the launch of training programmes to raise awareness among school and college students. 

To enhance public awareness about elephants, she instructed the production of videos and their dissemination through social media platforms.

Issuing a warning, she firmly said that filming any kind of video, including TikTok, near elephants must be strictly prohibited.