Idukki bans plantation work between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. after fatal elephant attacks
Idukki District Collector Dineshan Cheruvatt has barred all work and human movement inside plantations from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. after six fatal wild elephant attacks this year.
Plantation activity and human movement inside estates in Idukki district have been prohibited between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. under an order issued by District Collector Dineshan Cheruvatt, following a spate of fatal wild elephant attacks.
Inspectors in Munnar, Peerumade and Udumbanchola have been asked to direct plantation owners and workers to suspend all operations and movement within the estates during the twelve-hour window. The restriction is intended to protect people from wild animal attacks.
Officials said the order responds to a rise in deaths caused by wild elephants in the district. Six such fatalities have been recorded this year, with most occurring late at night or in the early hours of the morning.
Two recent deaths — one involving a tribal farmer and another a migrant worker — took place during these hours. Revenue Department officials said assessments indicate that movement at dawn and dusk leads to dangerous encounters with elephants, which frequently prove fatal.
The measure is aimed at preventing further such incidents in plantations that border forest areas, where human-wildlife conflict has been escalating.