'Continue with steps to check elephant menace in Dindigul

: The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to continue with its measures to prevent the menace of elephants in several villages of Dindigul district.

A division bench, comprising Justices S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad, gave the directive while disposing of a public interest litigation petition of A R Gokulakrishnan, who alleged that the government has not taken adequate steps to prevent the menace.

The bench noted that the authorities have submitted that steps had been taken and that the elephant menace had been reduced.

The petitioner submitted that during the 2006-15 period, the elephants had moved from Parappalar towards Kannivadi and even to Athoor Dam.

A year later, the herds began entering coffee growing areas of lower Palani Hills and villages in the upper Palani Hills.

The animals, the petitioner, were starving at Annamalai Tiger Reserve above Amaravathi Dam owing to the invasive thorny species of trees, all imported from Africa and U.S.A.

These species were not food for the elephants and the herds moved towards Kudhirayar, where there were good crops, abundant water resources, and human habitats, resulting in man-animal conflict, he said.

To this, the Bench said,"It is true that due to increase in pollution, there is pressure on the forest and this pressure has resulted in reduction of forest cover which has resulted in the increase of man, animal conflict."