Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (RJP)

Puttur, Jun 19: Shiradi ghat which has been in the news for the past several weeks for non completion of work and the protests of people on the same issue, now is in the news again. It is not a small issue, but a big one. In fact it is an elephant issue.

There is news that elephants have started evening walk on the Shiradi ghat roads.

As there is no traffic movement in the ghats, elephants do not know their limits. Previously the elephants were confined to the forest area and did not venture into the roads as there was vehicular movement all the time. But now probably they think that the whole jungle including the ghat roads belong to them. Hence they take evening walks.

It is said that for the past one month elephants have been seen walking on the roads after dusk. They come to the roads from one side and enter the other side without any hindrance from anybody. This has already hindered the concretisation work being done on Shiradi ghat.

Presently only the workers involved in the concretisation work are worried about the presence of elephants on the road. But if not stopped the elephants can make it a habit and walk even after the ghat is open for traffic, making life miserable for hundreds of road users.

The forest department is aware of this problem but does not know how to start and where to start to stop the elephants from their evening walk. The politicians who always fly over the ghat may not understand the gravity of the problem. "The work could not finish in time because of elephants, not because of us." should not be their answer tomorrow.