The Lotha Students Union (LSU) today condemned the “callous statement” on human-elephant conflict made by CL John, Minister for Forest, Environment & Climate Change and Village Guards at the 14th NLA August House on 12 September 2023. The LSU has also urged the Minister to offer an unconditional apology to the citizens of Wokha District and, in particular, to the victims’ families as well as acknowledging the insensitivity of his comments.
What has further aggravated the situation, according to the LSU, is the comment in the Assembly where CL John mentioned that the people of Wokha were “winning” the human-elephant conflict, and had dismissively stated that only eight people had been killed by elephants so far.
“Conflicts between humans and elephants not only cause negative attitudes but also cause the local people to be gripped by fear and resentment due to life-threatening experiences. Hence the callous remark by the minister not only lacks empathy for the victims’ families but also reflects a profound disconnect from the ground realities of the situation,” stated a press statement released by Lirhonthung Kithan, President and Grizel A Ngullie, Chairman, Media Cell, Info & Publicity Secretary.
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The Lotha Students Union has further invited Minister CL John to visit Wokha District and Bhandari Sub Division to witness the situation first hand “by immersing himself in the challenges faced by the people and understanding the gravity of the human-elephant conflict in order to gain a more accurate perspective”.
Pointing out the imperative of designating a responsible, respectable and qualified individuals to hold positions of power and influence, especially in matters concerning the environment and the well-being of its citizens, the LSU also stated that the people of Wokha District and all right-thinking citizens expect genuine concern from their elected representatives.
In this regard, the LSU suggested measures to reduce human-elephant conflicts to the Minister that could be implemented by the State department such as: Acoustic and Visual mechanisms, fences and barriers, early warning and detection systems, safeguarding elephant corridors, changing human attitudes towards elephants as well as ensuring the conservation of Forest areas from illegal encroachments by humans.
“The citizens of Nagaland deserve leadership that is empathetic, informed, and accountable whereas CL John’s recent actions have fallen short of these expectations and have caused significant harm to his credibility and the trust of the people he serve,” asserted the LSU appealing all right thinking citizens of Nagaland to condemn the controversial statement of the Minister.
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