'Not here': Nenmara MLA against translocating Arikomban to Parambikulam; protest on Wednesday

Palakkad: Nenmara MLA K Babu on Wednesday afternoon wrote to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and forest minister AK Saseendran against translocating rice-eating tusker Arikomban from Idukki’s Chinnakkanal to Parambikulam Tiger Reserve in Palakkad district.

On Wednesday, the Kerala High Court ordered the forest department to relocate the elephant that has become a threat to lives and buildings in the Chinnakanal region to Parambikulam. An expert committee informed the court that Arikomban should be shifted to the Parambikulam-Muthuvarachal region and this is the most suitable location.

A protest is being planned in Parambikulam on Thursday against the court order.

At the same time, as the forest department has no GPS satellite collar, Mission Arikomban may be delayed. As there are no mobile towers in Parambikulam, it is impossible to use a normal GPS/GSM collar to track its movements.

According to the forest department, the elephant has killed seven people and destroyed more than 30 buildings in past three months.