Wayanad: Amid the surge in wild animal attacks on crops, cattle and human beings, the district authority has opened a Command Control Centre for better coordination of actions in resolving human-animal conflicts. The step was taken in line with the decisions taken in the high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on February 15 at Thiruvananthapuram, said District Collector Dr Renu Raj in a press release.
The centre would have the support of various departments including forest, police, revenue, local administration and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe welfare. For the time being the centre would function in the temporary office space allotted at the District Collectorate.
The responsibilities of the control cell include effective coordination of various departments, inter-state communication, swift action in hostile situations, effective media management, uploading the latest updates from the forest department on the official website, and maintaining cordial relationships with the agencies across the borders.
The recently appointed special officer for the human-animal conflict in Wayanad, S Vijayanand would take over the charge of the Command Control Centre.
The centre will be completely operational by March 31. Dr Renu Raj also directed the respective departments to ensure adequate staff for the hassle-free functioning of the centre. All calls to the control centre would be registered and actions would be initiated on a priority basis. The applications would be given red, yellow and green colours in tune with the seriousness of the case.
