SHILLONG: The Forest department will construct ponds and blocks of salt in areas close to elephant corridors to help the wild elephants to spend their time in peace instead of causing depredations.
Creation of percolation ponds in the forest and placing of salt licks are conventional means used to prevent wild elephants from entering human habitations and causing destructions.
This is one of the three measures the Forest department is planning to adopt to address the perennial problem of man-elephant conflict.
Dozens of lives have been lost and scores of people have been injured in attacks by wild elephants in the past owing to disturbances in the elephant corridors due to human encroachment.
Besides dwelling places, plantations and paddy fields were also destroyed by wild elephants.
Concerned over the spurt in destruction to lives and properties, the Forest department has chalked out a three-pronged strategy to deal with man-elephant conflict in the State.
Forest Minister Prestone Tynsong told reporters on Wednesday that creation of permanent corridors, construction of ponds and block of salt where the elephants would like to spend their time and the creation of Village Volunteer Force are the three initiatives adopted by the State Government.
The Minister said that there were instances of herds of wild elephants straying into the NEHU campus in Tura.
“We have already taken up with NEHU authorities on the need to create a permanent elephant corridor to avoid man-elephant conflict in the campus,” Tynsong said.
According to the minister, two permanent elephant corridors will be constructed in Garo Hills while one each will be set up in Ri Bhoi and West Khasi Hills.
The Forest department has already sent a proposal of Rs. 3 crore to the Centre for implementation of measures to address the man-elephant conflict.
The State Government has also sought funds from the Centre to clear the backlog of cases of elephant depredation amounting to Rs. 3 crore, the Forest Minister added.
