Chennai, Jan 28 (BPNS)
The farmers of Dharmpuri area of Tamil Nadu are expecting the state forest department to immediately act to capture two elephants that are creating havoc in their farmlands. According to the farmers, two elephants, a Makhna (tuskless male elephant) and a male elephant has been on a rampage over the farmlands in the areas of Palacode, Papparapatti, and Maranadahalli for the past few months.
S.A. Chinnaswamy, President, Tamilaga Vyavasai Sangam while speaking to BPNS said, “ The crops are being destroyed at will by these elephants and the compensation offered by the state government is insufficient. If the crops were allowed to grow, then we would have fetched much more than what we are receiving now. The forest department must immediately act and capture the two elephants.”
Forest department officials in the district however said that they have been relentlessly pursuing the two elephants and trying to drive them into the deep forest. A senior officer of the Tamil Nadu forest department at Dharmapuri while speaking to BPNS said, “Even though we burst crackers and try to drive the animals out into the deep forest, they are coming back. The Makhna is more ferocious and if we try more, then it would lead to the elephant creating more damage. We need clearance from the state forest department to tranquilize the elephant.”
It is to be noted that the district forest authorities require as clearance from the Chief Wild Life warden and resources for a major operation to tranquilize the elephants and capture them.
The farmers association is also worried that the crops they ardently cultivate are destroyed by the elephants and that the damage or the loss money provided by the revenue department is much less.
Senior officers in Chennai, however, said that the decision to capture the elephants will come soon and a high-level meeting would be held in the days to come for a final decision on the same.
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