Karnataka - Hassan   

Officials apathetic to elephant menace

HASSAN: Three elephants died of electrocution recently in Madihalli in Alur taluk of the district. However, the Department of Forests has done hardly anything to end the elephant menace.

A herd of elephants from Dodda Betta enter Madihalli and destroy crops. To prevent crop loss, farmers have fenced their lands with live electric wires. On coming into contact with the wires, the elephants are electrocuted.

Three months ago a baby elephant was electrocuted. The enraged mother elephant destroyed a farmhouse in the vicinity as well as standing crops.

A fortnight ago, another elephant was electrocuted in the same place and died instantly.

On Tuesday, officials of the Department of Forests used a crane to lift a dead elephant as it had fallen into a 20-foot-deep ditch. Several appeals were made to the department to capture wild elephants in region, but have fallen on deaf years.

According to residents of the villages, the authorities were still to pay Rs. 28 lakh as compensation to farmers for crop loss in Alur, Sakleshpur and Arakalgud taluks. “We invest Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 10,000 on each acre of crop, while compensation given is only Rs. 200 to Rs. 400 an acre. This needs to be increased,” some farmers said.

Farmers of Madihalli, led by Chandranna and Thimme Gowda, have asked officials to acquire their farmlands and pay them compensation as they were unable to cultivate land owing to the elephant menace.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Officials apathetic to elephant menace
Concern shown over elephant deaths
Lack of anti-rabies vaccine irks ZP members
Revanna refutes charge

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu