Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)
Mangaluru, Feb 25: The state government had taken out an order to form elephant task force in districts where there is elephant attacks on human beings and destruction of crops. However, Dakshina Kannada (DK) district is kept out of this list. People living in rural areas of DK are scared to venture out in the night.
Two people were killed by a wild elephant at Kadaba a few days ago. This clearly shows that the district needs a task force. From the last two decades, herds of elephants are continuously attacking crop and human beings and many lives have lost.
The task force formed to capture wild elephant in Kadaba (file photo)
Elephant task force is formed in Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Mysuru and Kodagu districts in last November. Chamarajanagar and Mandya were added to the list in the recent budget. But DK is literally forgotten by the government.
Am elephant task forces contains a DCF, ACF, zonal forest officer, four deputy zonal forest officers, eight forest guards and 32 outsourced personnel. Vehicle is also provided as required. Rifle, fire crackers and handheld transceivers are also provided to the team.
The task force has to patrol the areas where the wild elephant menace is seen often. The wild elephants should be driven back to forest. In addition, information needs to be passed on to general public.
Wild elephant attacks are prevalent in more than 40 rural areas of Sullia, Kadaba and Beltangady taluks of DK.
Herds of elephants are attacking farm lands of Mandekolu, Alettu, Ajjavara, Sampaje, Todikana, Harihara, Kollamogru, Balugodu, Nalkooru, Markanja and Madappady villages of Sullia. Even the urban area of Sullia is not free of wild elephant attack.
In Beltangady Mundaje, Chibidrre Thotattadi, Charmady, Neriya, Kadirudyavara, Mittabagilu, Malavanthige, Patrame, Kokkada, Nidle, Shishila, Shibaje, Kalenja are prone to attack by wild elephants.
Though DK district is suffering from wild elephant attacks for two decades, so far no proposal is sent from district administration to form elephant task force. Even Sullia MLA S Angara had not highlighted the issue in the assembly session till recently, it is learnt.