The Karnataka government has decided to double the solatium paid for death due to wild elephant attacks. A meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday decided to double the solatium for death due to wild elephant attack, hiking it from Rs 7.5 lakh to Rs 15 lakh.

For permanent disability due to elephant attack, it was decided to increase the solatium to Rs 10 lakh, increasing it from the present Rs 5 lakh, for partial disability from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, and for injuries from Rs 30,000 to Rs 60,000. Regarding damage to property, it was decided to hike the competition from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000, while the monthly pension for permanently disabled persons has been increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 4,000. Even the amount paid for the crop damage will be doubled, a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said.

According to the statement, the meeting was attended by Excise and Hassan District-in-charge Minister K Gopalaiah and other senior officials from the Forest Department. It further said that permission was granted to capture eight elephants which were creating havoc in Sakleshpur-Belur area, and to radio collar the captured tuskers in order to have a watch on them. Already, 23 wild elephants have been radio collared to keep a watch on their movements.