Elephant task force in Dakshina Kannada will be functional in a week: Forest Minister

Minister for Forest, Environment and Ecology Eshwar Khandre has said the elephant task force sanctioned for Dakshina Kannada district will become functional from next week even as he promised to visit Sullia taluk that has been affected much by elephant-human conflict immediately after the ongoing legislature session.

Mr. Khandre gave this assurance to Dakshina Kannada-Udupi Local Authorities constituency MLC Kishor Kumar Puttur at Belagavi on the sidelines of the legislature session on Tuesday (December 16). A statement from the MLC in Mangaluru said the Minister would visit the conflict area along with people’s representatives and hold discussions with local farmers affected by the conflict.

The Minister would strive to find a permanent and scientific solution to end the human-elephant conflict by preparing a comprehensive action plan, covering aspects, namely, elephant movement patterns, hotspot identification, emergency response mechanisms, fencing and barrier systems, lighting arrangements and technology-based surveillance. Mr. Khandre reiterated that protecting the lives and property of farmers in forest-fringe villages is a priority for the government.

Submitting a memorandum, Mr. Puttur held a detailed discussion on the worsening human – elephant conflict in Sullia, Kadaba and Belthangady taluks. He informed the Minister that in the forest-fringe villages of these taluks, wild elephants are repeatedly entering agricultural lands and destroying crops, namely, areca nut, coconut and banana, causing severe financial losses to farmers. He also drew attention to incidents of human fatalities and serious injuries due to elephant attacks, which have created a climate of fear among local residents.

The MLC told the Minister that though a task force was announced, it is yet to become functional. He explained that an operational Elephant Task Force (ETF) would help monitor elephant movement, enable rapid response and significantly reduce crop damage and loss of human life.