Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Oct 19: At a time when incidents of human-elephant conflict are on the rise, the state government has decided to develop fences along 65 km stretch at several elephant zones during 2015-16 fiscal. This, sources said, is part of the five-year (2012-17) elephant corridor scheme being implemented by the state government.
“We’ve planned to develop 25 km stretch trench fencing and 40 km solar fencing under elephant corridor scheme,” said a forest department official adding, “The cost of the project has been pegged at Rs 1.60 crore – Rs 1 crore for trench fencing and 60 lakh for solar fencing.”
The state government had spent Rs 1.25 crore in 2012-13, Rs 1.21 crore in 2013-14 and `1.49 crore in 2014-15 fiscals for development of 77-km trench fencing and 139-km solar fencing.
The state government has sanctioned Rs 5 crore for development of elephant corridors under the ongoing scheme in the current fiscal. Sources said 14 elephant corridors are being developed through 16 forest divisions of the state.
Under the five-year scheme, steps are being taken to make a survey for installing pillars on the corridor borders, planting saplings on the open space on government and forest land, constructing watch towers to monitor the movement of elephants, digging reservoirs and reviving water bodies and providing alternative source of income to villagers residing close to the corridors for the protection of forests.
About 690 elephants have died since 2004 and the cause of death of about 120 elephants is yet to be ascertained.
The highest of 83 jumbos died in 2010-11 due to various reasons. Similarly, 82 elephants perished in 2012-13 followed by 51 in 2014-15. The recent death of two elephants in Dhenkanal district has raised concern.
Also, till March 2015 about 660 people were killed and 272 injured due to man-elephant conflict that has also resulted in destruction of about 2,479 houses and partial damage to 5,545 houses.
