Chennai, Aug 2 (BPNS)

The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Company (Tangedco) will submit a report on the electrocution deaths of wild elephants and other wildlife to the Madras High Court before September 5.

A high-level meeting of the Tangedco on Monday met for submitting details to the court after a division bench of the Madras high court pulled up the power utility and ordered a deadline for the same.

Justices N. Sathish Kumar and D. Bharatha Chakravarthy warned that the Tangedco MD will be summoned if the details are not filed. The court directed the power utility to submit the details while hearing a bunch of petitions pertaining to the safety of wildlife. It may be noted that wild elephants were electrocuted in forest areas near Coimbatore and The Nilgiris coming into contact with the power lines.

The wildlife board and NGOs working among the wildlife had filed petitions against the callous manner in which the Tangedco officials were maintaining the power lines in forest areas. The call for underground cables has been in the existence for the past many years so that threat of wildlife including elephants coming in contact with broken live overhead power lines could be avoided.

With the Madras High Court pulling it up, senior officials of Tangedco have sought reports from all its circle-level offices that have a presence in forest areas or adjacent to forest areas.

The court has also directed a joint inspection between Electricity Board officials and the forest department officials on the electric lines that are being maintained by the Tangedco in forest areas and adjacent areas where the wildlife forays into.

The Tangedco, according to sources in the power utility will be holding a meeting of the senior officials in charge of the forest areas next week and finalize the report to be submitted in court after vetting from the Tangedco head office.