Govt banks on Indo-German project to halt humanwildlife conflicts

NEW DELHI: The Centre is banking on an Indo-German Human-Wildlife
conflict mitigation project to prevent a recurrence of the controversial
killing of tigress Avni in Maharashtra and deaths of seven elephants by
electrocution in Odisha last month.

The Indo-German project aims to provide technical support at the national
level and in selected states for effective implementation of conflict
mitigation measures so that both human and animal lives could be saved
by shifting from 'conflict' to 'co-existence' mode.

"We have been doing pilots in three states - Uttarakhand, West Bengal
and Karnataka - under the Indo-German project. Three sites have been
selected keeping in mind tiger and elephant population in those areas," said S Sathyakumar, scientist at Dehradun-based

Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

Kodagu forest circle in Karnataka, Terai Arc Landscape in Uttarakhand and Gorumara wildlife division in north Bengal are three
areas where the government agencies have been working in technical cooperation with the German government.
Sathyakumar, who deals with the Indo-German project, told TOI on Saturday that the objective is to frame guidelines and
standard operating procedures (SOPs) so that humans and wildlife could co-exist.

"The idea is to prevent conflict wherever possible through taking enabling measures and creating awareness among people
living around the wildlife habitat and their path of movement from one region to other," he said.

The success of the pilot project, signed last year, will be replicated at the national level, covering protected areas, national
parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

An official note says that the project focuses on three output areas - development of action plan to reduce human wildlife
conflict, pilot application of a holistic approach and instruments for mitigation of conflicts and facilitating capacity development
of key stakeholders.

Figures, compiled by the Union environment ministry, show that more than 1,600 people were killed due to elephant and tiger
attacks across the country between 2014-15 and 2017-18. While 1,557 people were killed due to elephant attacks, 49 were
killed due to tiger attacks during the period.

According to WWF-India, tigers tend to avoid people, but can attack in self defence if they are taken by surprise or if they are
with their young ones. Such incidences may sometimes lead to humans being mauled or killed by chance.

It says, "Occasionally, an aged, sick or injured tiger that is unable to hunt its natural prey may also kill a human being and feed
on the body. A few such tigers may resort to killing human beings intermittently since man is an easy prey. But not all aged, sick
or injured tigers become man-eaters."

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Odisha fast turning into graveyard for elephants

The death of seven elephants on October 27 at Kamalanga in Dhenkanal district of Odisha due to electrocution has allegedly exposed the state government’s apathy and inaction to ensure safe habitats for the big mammals.

Bhubaneswar: Odisha, the eastern Indian province whose rulers in the past were known as the Gajapati Maharajas or rulers of the elephants, is no longer a safe place for the jumbo animals. It was the state which boasted of having the countrys highest number of pachyderms.

Manmade disasters coupled with the state governments inaction have rendered the state a deadly graveyard for the elephants.

Since May 2017, 121 wild elephants have died. Of them, 25 were electrocuted either by sagging power lines or hooking of live wires by poachers.

The death of seven elephants at Kamalanga in Dhenkanal district on October 27 has exposed the state governments “apathy” and “inaction” to ensure safe habitats for the big mammals. This mass electrocution, said to the biggest-ever electrocution tragedy in India, has shaken the wildlife lovers and conservationists across the world.

In fact, the National Green Tribunal has taken the Kamalanga incident seriously and slapped a suo motu case against the Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU) of Odisha. Besides, it has imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on the power distribution company for its alleged negligence that led to the death of seven elephants.

Wildlife activists have blamed the present forest and environment minister Bijayashree Routray for the tragedy and registered their protest at the office of the chief minister.

“Our state Odisha, known for its magnificent elephants, has turned into a graveyard for elephants. We wish to record our disappointment over the worrying performance of the current minister. Since May 2017 when he (minister Bijayshree Routray) took over charge, we are dismayed to note that 121 wild elephants have died. In a similar incident on the June 9, 2017, bodies of three electrocuted elephants were recovered in decomposed conditions near Borapada in Dhenkanal district,” Biswajit Mohanty, secretary of Wildlife Society of Odisha, wrote to chief minister Naveen Patnaik. 

There are hundreds of sagging electric line points where a similar tragedy is imminent.

In a ghastly incident on April 16 this year, four elephants were mowed down by a train near Telidihi in Jharsuguda district due to poor coordination. No enquiry was conducted to ascertain the role of the local divisional forest officer (DFO), but lower level forest staff members were suspended.

Earlier on July 29, 2917, a train had killed an elephant in Sundargarh district followed by one more case of an elephant hit by a train in Dhenkanal on April 21 this year.

“Had the minister taken up this matter seriously, these elephants would be alive today,” said Mr Mohanty. 

Wildlife protection activists find lack of coordination between the forest officials and the railways to check accidental deaths of the elephants. 

Another shocking fact is that the poaching of adult male elephants for ivory continues unabated in Odisha with nothing being done to check the poachers.

In the last 18 months, hunters have allegedly poached nine adult males.

In February 2018, in quick succession, two adult male elephants were found with their tusks hacked off by poachers in the Badamba range of Athagarh division. On October 17, another adult male died in the adjoining Narsinghpur East range.

In December 2017, two professional elephant poachers from Arunachal Pradesh were apprehended in Keonjhar, but there has been no headway in the investigation to uncover the network. Odisha has lost 28 adult male elephants during the tenure of this minister which is a huge loss considering the fact that these were breeding males.

Open wells continue to be a threat to elephants and other wildlife. Since May 2017, 44 wild animals have fallen into open wells. There were 15 elephants among them, of which four died.

Human-elephant conflict has also gone up sharply in the last 18 months. As many as 141 men and women were killed and 102 injured in this turmoil.

During 2017-18, Odisha recorded the unfortunate death of 84 humans, the highest till date. For the last seven months, 57 persons have died and 53 have been injured.

The disbursement of compassionate payments for crop damage has continued to be woeful despite the Odisha Right to Services Act of 2012.

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Odisha: Three arrested for Dhenkanal elephant electrocution

Three employees of Forest and Environment departments were arrested by Crime Branch police on Saturday in connection with the electrocution of seven elephants in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district recently.

The elephants had died after coming in contact with a live high voltage wire near Kamalanga village under the Sadar Forest Range on October 27.

Those arrested are Junior Engineer of Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU), Sanjay Mohanty, forester of Meramandali section Pravakar Rana and forest guard of Meramandali forest beat house Girish Chandra Dehury, a senior police official said.

While Mohanty had earlier been dismissed from service, Rana and Dehury were placed under suspension in connection with the incident.

The Crime Branch of police has been investigating into the incident after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on October 28 issued an order in this regard. The chief minister has also ordered for appropriate action in case of any criminal negligence,

As the tragedy evoked sharp criticism from various quarters, both energy and forest departments took action against seven officials in connection with the incident.

A general manager, one sub-divisional Officer (SDO) and a lineman of CESU were placed under suspension, while JE Sanjay Mohanty was sacked, an official said.

Similarly, a forest range officer, a forester and a forest guard were suspended over the incident, he said.

Additional Conservator of Forest (ACF) Jitendranath Das had lodged a complaint at Kantabania police station in connection with the incident. The Wildlife Cell of Crime Branch also registered a case.

The mishap happened apparently because of sagging electric wire. As per guidelines, the 11 KV electric line wire must be pulled at a height of 17-18 feet above the ground, he said.

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NGT forms team to probe jumbo deaths

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has constituted a team to probe the death of seven elephants which were electrocuted after coming in contact with a livewire near Kamalanga village in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, constituted a team comprising representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India, director of Project Elephant and Chief Wildlife Warden of Odisha.

The team will visit the site and suggest measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future, due to electrocution or other causes which can be applicable to wildlife areas in the entire country, the NGT said.

“The representative of MoEF will be the coordinator. The visit may be undertaken within two weeks from today,” the bench, also comprising Justice SP Wangdi, said in its October 30 order.

The green panel had directed the Central Electricity Supply Utility of Odisha (CESU) to deposit Rs 1 crore with the Chief Wildlife Warden of the state within a week and asked it to submit its stand in the case to the MoEF.

The tribunal said the incident ‘prima facie’ shows apathy to the wildlife by CESU as 42 elephants have died of electrocution due to sagging livewires and at least 18 were killed in Dhenkanal division since April 2010 as per a news report.

It appointed advocate Amit A Pai to assist the tribunal in the matter and posted the matter for consideration of the report December 20.

The tribunal passed the order after taking note of the news report. The article said that according to the forest department, electrocution occurred on account of negligence of CESU.

Seven elephants were electrocuted after coming in contact with a livewire near Kamalanga village October 27.

A herd of 13 jumbos was passing through the village in Sadar forest range and seven of them came in contact with the 11-KV wire.

The carcasses of the pachyderms, including a tusker and five females, were spotted in the morning by villagers who informed forest officials.

While three carcasses were lying on a road, four others were inside a canal. The incident happened apparently because of sagging electric wire, the forest officials said.

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Rs 1cr fine on Odisha electricity board over elephant electrocution

Dhenkanal (Odisha) [India], Oct 30 (ANI): The National Green Tribunal (NGT
(/search?query=NGT)) on Tuesday took suo-motu cognisance of media reports on
the death of seven elephants from electrocution in Dhenkanal and imposed a fine
The NGT (/search?query=NGT) has also constituted a three-member committee for
investigation in the matter.

On Saturday, the Forest Department in a press statement said, "In the instant case,
the Divisional Forest Officer, Dhenkanal had informed to EE, Central Electricity

Supply Utility to rectify the sagging transmission line from Kamalanga to Kaliataila
of Meramundali Section of Dhenkanal Range. The Divisional Forest Officer,
Dhenkanal had also submitted the proposal for cabling of transmission line in
Kamalanga area. Due to non-rectification of sagging lines and non-cabling of
transmission lines, the accident has occurred claiming the lives of seven elephants
in Meramundali section of Dhenkanal Range of Dhenkanal Division."

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday ordered a crime branch inquiry
into the incident. Apart from this, the state government suspended six officials and
sacked a junior engineer of the Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU) while the
forest department suspended three of its field staff including Dhenkanal Range
Officer. (ANI)

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