CM calls for detail study to mark existing elephant corridors

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday called for a detailed study to mark the existing elephant corridors in the state and to proactively involve local communities in taking preventive measures to reduce man-elephant conflict, an official said.

Sonowal, chairing a meeting of the State Board for Wildlife, Assam, appreciated initiatives such as the creation of WhatsApp groups with railway staff, forest department officials and local community members for reducing incidents of elephant deaths on railway tracks and called for sustained efforts in this regard.

The Chief Minister said that unregulated pachyderm population and increased human pressure on the eco-system of the state have resulted in scarcity of food for the elephants and their consequential venture into the human habitations and agricultural fields, an official said.

He also suggested planting banana trees and grasses in the reserve forests and other forest lands to meet the increased food requirement of the elephants.

Sonowal also underlined the necessity to regulate interstate elephant movement and transferring of states elephants to other states, directing the forest department to ensure timely medical check-up of elephants by veterinary doctors before being sent to other states on exchange.

The Chief Minister asked the forest department to publish booklets on the states environmental resources for distribution in schools and colleges.

Referring to the state governments aggressive drive to plant saplings in the state, Sonowal called for sensitisation campaign to make youths take responsibility for environmental protection.

Elevated road project at Kaziranga National park or the flyover construction over a 38.84 km stretch of National Highway 37 passing through the Park also came up for discussion and the chief minister directed that its Detailed Project Report (DPR) be submitted by October this year by PWD (NH Works).

"Once completed, it would be one of the top tourist attractions in the country and a prime example for wildlife conservation initiatives," he said.

Increase of remuneration for front line employees of the forest department, swift payment of ex-gratia to victims of man-animal conflict, raising the amount of ex-gratia to families of forest guards killed on duty by wild animals, sterilisation of monkeys as a measure of its population control were some of the other issues discussed in the meeting.