Forest and Revenue Departments, Tangedco, to work jointly to prevent elephant deaths in Dharmapuri district

The tusker seen simply earlier than it was electrocuted close to Morappur in Dharmapuri on March 18
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

A sequence of measures are to be jointly taken by the Forest Department, Revenue and Tangedco (Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation), to avert animal casualties in the wake of the electrocution of 4 grownup elephants final month.

The measures, to be taken in a staggered method, are outcomes of deliberations and protocols laid out in a joint assembly held final month, with the three departments, chaired by Collector Okay. Shanthi.

Dharmapuri district alone has seen at the least six elephant deaths in lower than two months this 12 months. Earlier this week, two grownup elephants had been discovered useless in completely different reserve forests of the Hogenakkal vary, over two consecutive days — these nonetheless, are ‘suspected’ pure deaths as per the conclusions of the autopsies Last month, two feminine elephants and a makhna had been electrocuted to demise by a farm fence in Morappur in Palacode. Another tusker died after coming into contact with a excessive pressure energy line, when it was climbing up a bund in Morappur. 

Sharing the main points of those measures, District Forest Officer Okay.V.A. Naidu mentioned the assembly referred to as for the mapping of all high-tension energy traces in forest fringe villages up to 2 km from the reserve forest boundary; making a WhatsApp group with TANGEDCO, Revenue and Forest officers for trade of real-time alerts; strengthening vigilance via joint patrols by the three departments exterior and inside reserve forest areas; and clearing bushes below high-voltage energy traces (i.e., 11 kilovolts) passing via forest areas.

The Forest Department would determine delicate villages and prioritize them as ‘very high risk’, ‘high risk’, ‘moderate risk’, and ‘low risk’ areas. Tangedco will scan for unlawful fences, hooks, energy provide traces linked from high-tension traces and disconnect unlawful energy traces contained in the forests and e book offences below the Wildlife Act 1972 and The Electricity Act, 2003. 

In order to obtain efficient implementation of the crop injury compensation scheme, Tahsildars have been instructed to inform Village Administrative Officers to present land paperwork at once, for fast settlement of compensation claims, the place crop injury has occurred due to wild animals.

According to the Forest Department, joint patrols and joint consciousness programmes in forest fringe areas have already commenced. Similarly, low/sagging energy traces are being inspected and adjusted to the required peak from the bottom stage. Steps are being taken to regulate the remaining low/sagging energy traces. The realignment of present transmission line can also be being seemed into to keep away from electrocution deaths.

The Forest Department has additionally requested the Superintendent Engineer, Dharmapuri to provoke the next measures to prevent the electrocution of animals. They embody rising the peak of the transmission traces to 7 metres from the bottom stage, or realignment of present transmission traces via underground cables/air bunched cables to keep away from electrocution; establishing an auto tripping system wherever HT & LT traces cross via bamboo and foliage contained in the reserve forest; fencing of electrical poles and transformers with limitations like concrete partitions; implementation of the suggestions of the A.Okay Biswal Expert Committee report to shield elephants from electrocution and railway accidents. This entails electrical energy firms should guarantee a minimal of 20 ft of floor clearance in elephant corridors.