Permanent measures demanded to control elephant menace

KPCC legal cell president A S Ponnanna urged the government to implement a permanent project to prevent wild elephant menace in the district.

In a press release, he stated that the government has turned a blind eye despite the elephant-human conflict being on the rise in the district.

The forest department has failed to ensure access of fodder and water to elephants in the forest, as a result of which the elephants are straying into the human habitat, he said.

A vast tract of agricultural crops has been damaged following the elephant attack in the district. The forest department has not been suitably compensating the farmers who suffered losses, he added.

Apart from the loss of crops, many lives have also been lost due to the elephant menace. Many people are handicapped, he said.

The solar fences and railway fences installed by the forest department to prevent the elephant menace have been a total failure. The workers are afraid to work in the plantations, Ponnappa said and accused the elected representatives of not raising the issue in the Legislative Assembly effectively.