Permit us to use guns, kill animals, says BJP MLA

BENGALURU: Unable to tackle wild animals attacking farms and damaging crops grown by farmers, MLAs from the Malnad region, including Speaker Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri, are demanding that the State government take action on this menace. 

BJP MLA Agara Jnanendra went to the extent of demanding that the government allow them to use weapons to kill wild animals. “Give us the permission to use guns, we will kill animals and control them,’’ he said. 

Rampaging elephants have long caused angst among farmers in this region, who often lose their harvest. During Question Hour, Mudigere MLA M P Kumaraswamy raised the issue to elephant attacks in his constituency. “Farmers toil the entire year to grow their crops, but when the harvesting period arrives, elephants attack and damage them. This has to be stopped,” he added. 

Mudigere MLA MP Kumaraswamy raised the issue of elephant attacks in his constituency, to which Speaker Kageri added that attacks have now become rampant. “It is causing problems to farmers, who should be compensated for crop loss,” MLA Kumaraswamy said.

Kageri said that farmers should be compensated for crop loss. “It’s not just elephants, farmers are facing problems from pigs, peacocks, monkeys and other animals too,’’ he said.