Forest and environment minister Bikram Keshari Arukh on Tuesday told the assembly that 29 people have died in man-elephant conflict between January and October.
Responding to what measures the government is taking to check the conflict, the minister said, “Although it is difficult to keep the elephants limited to their corridors and habitats, still we are covering the elephant zones with solar fencing to prevent their entry into human habitations. We are also digging trenches.”
He informed the House that the government is in the process of developing the 14 identified elephant corridors so that their movements remain limited to the zones only.
In the first week of November, wild elephants trampled two men to death in Athgarh and Dhenkanal forest divisions.
Both were killed while going to their paddy fields.
Official sources said an elephant herd from Chandaka Wildlife Sanctuary has strayed into Athgarh and Dhenkanal forests and is wreaking havoc there. The herd is yet to be driven out from the human habitations despite best of efforts by the forest officials.
The incidents are happening despite the minister’s claim that they have set up elephant trackers, who are supposed to swing into action soon after getting information about elephants straying into human habitations. “To monitor the movement of the jumbos and drive them out of human habitation, we have anti-depredation squads also. To check poaching of elephants, we have formed anti-poaching squads,” he told the House.
The minister claimed that to check electrocution of elephants due to sagging live wires, they have regular meeting with the energy department for better coordination. “We have embarked upon improving the laying of electric cables in elephant zones from 2013. At many places, deaths due to electrocution have come down,” he said.