Kohima, September 16 (MExN): The National People’s Party (NPP), Nagaland Unit, has called on the State Government to adopt the Kerala model of declaring human–wildlife conflict as a State-Specific Disaster under the Disaster Management framework, citing the recurring incidents of crop destruction and threats to livelihoods in Wokha, Mokokchung and other districts.
The appeal follows the September 14 incident at Lichuyan Village, Changpang Block, Wokha District, where a herd of about 20 elephants reportedly destroyed several betel nut farms, leaving farmers in distress.
Expressing solidarity with the affected farmers, the NPP urged the Government of Nagaland to immediately release compensation and relief assistance. However, the party maintained that piecemeal measures would not suffice given the scale and recurrence of such conflicts.
According to the NPP, adopting the Kerala model would allow the use of State Disaster Response Funds (SDRF) for compensation and relief, deployment of rapid response teams with trained forest personnel and local volunteers, inter-departmental coordination among Forest, Disaster Management, Police and Village Guards, as well as scientific prevention measures such as solar fencing, trenches, and community warning systems.
Declaring human–elephant conflict as a State-Specific Disaster in Nagaland, the NPP argued, would ensure faster response, stronger accountability, and adequate resources to safeguard human lives and livelihoods.
The party further appealed to the Central Government to extend this recognition nationwide by bringing human–elephant conflict under the ambit of a Nationally Managed Disaster, ensuring equal priority across all affected states.
