Tusker trouble puts Karnataka govt in action mode

The state government has come up with short- and long-term plans to tackle the man-elephant conflicts.

On Thursday, forest minister CH Vijayashankar, along with housing minister V Somanna, held a meeting with officials and farmers affected by the elephant menace.

The forest minister announced that the government was working hard to evolve a foolproof strategy to control man-animal conflicts in seven districts of Karnataka.

“Man-elephant conflicts have been there for the past 30 years. Reasons could be aplenty, including increased encroachment in forest areas, but elephant-related deaths and crop destruction are definitely on the rise. We’ve taken this issue seriously. I have directed the forest officials to submit a list of places affected by or vulnerable to rogue elephants. The list would be sent to the Centre seeking permission to capture and tame the jumbos. We can capture rogue elephants subject to a post-facto approval by the Centre,” he said.

He said he would consult chief minister B S Yeddyurappa to ensure adequate fund  allocation in the upcoming budget sessions. He would increase the compensation for farmers whose crops have been destroyed by elephants and also for victims of elephant attacks, near the elephant corridor. As per the estimate, Rs150 crore is required to make permanent arrangements to prevent elephant menace in the state.

As for the long-term strategy, he said, “First, we will identify sensitive and hyper-sensitive areas and will dig trenches on the periphery of the forest area. Then preventive walls will be constructed.”

The minister admitted that it was difficult to evolve a specific strategy to prevent wild elephants from straying into crop fields and residential areas for various reasons.

Earlier, minister in-charge of Hassan district Somanna had claimed that 14 people and 15 wild elephants had died in Hassan district alone since 2007 owing to man-animal conflicts.