Elephant corridor: K'taka asks for Centre's nod to use CAMPA

The Karnataka government today urged the Centre to allow it to use the CAMPA funds for setting up an elephant corridor by acquiring private land in the Sakleshpur taluk of Hassan district.
The CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority) fund is used for afforestation and forest conservation purposes.
"Farmers have come forward to give 2,500 acres of land voluntarily. This, along with the government land, can be utilised for the corridor, which will help widen the elephant habitat," Karnataka Minister for Animal Husbandry and in- charge of Hassan district A Manju told reporters here.
"The state CAMPA fund has about Rs 300 crore and we want the Centre's permission to utilise that amount for acquiring the private land," he said.

Manju said farmers were ready to sell their land as they had suffered a crop damage.
He added that more than 30 people were reportedly killed by elephants over the last five-six years in Karnataka.
Several representations were submitted to the Union environment ministry in this regard, Manju said, adding that a separate elephant corridor would benefit both the animals and the farmers.
Manju was in the national capital to take up issues concerning Karnataka with some of the Union ministers, including Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation D V Sadananda Gowda.