Chhattisgarh’s Surguja Forest Division and adjoining forests witnessed a dozen people and more than 100 animals including 15 elephants killed due to electrocution in the last two years after the State Electricity Department laid down high tension wire in the forest.
Raipur, August 25: Nearly a dozen people and more than 100 animals including 15 elephants have been killed in Chhattisgarh’s Surajpur, Surguja, Balrampur, Jashpur, and Korba district’s forest in last two years due to electrocution, the northern Forest of Chhattisgarh becoming dangerous for wild animals as well as humans owing to the State Electricity Department laying down high tension wire in the forest, along with a number of small animals like chitals, kotari, and wild pigs killed by poachers being unaccounted for. However, the State Forest Department is clueless about the incident, and even after two years, the Department claimed they would send a notice to the Electricity Department to address the issue. The forest officials claimed that the villagers or the poachers hooked down the current using live wires from the mainline and laying it down throughout the known paths of the animals. Several incidents of similar nature have been reported in these forests. Unfortunately, humans too have fallen prey to it and lost their lives.
A social worker Nitin Singhvi had filed a petition in Bilaspur High Court in 2018, claiming that as many as 34 elephants have died owing to the unplanned spreading of the power lines through the Forests of Sarguja from March 2005 to 2017. Hearing the case, the High Court ordered the Electricity Distribution Board to answer, but in vain.
An elephant had died owing to the electrocution in Pratappur Range of Surajpur district on August 16. “Nearly 15 elephants have died of electrocution in the last two years in the Northern range forest of Chhattisgarh”, Laxmi Chouhan, Korba-based environmentalist said.
In addition to that, on July 30 this year, Kannilal, a resident of Mainpat of Ambikapur district strangled in the trap laid down for the wild animals and lost his life. Within a week, Basanti Bai, of the same locality, also fell in the trap and died of electrocution on her way to in-laws, while her husband escaped with a close shave. In another incident, a migrant worker got electrocuted near Madwarani village in Korba district while returning from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh with his family on June 21, 2020. More than ten people have lost their lives in various parts of the forest spread across northern Chhattisgarh between January, 2019 to July, 2020, the local media reported. The villagers are in constant fear as hunters change the place of traps every other day. The visibility of these traps is very low as they are designed to fit in the natural set-up of the forest to not sway the animals away. Ever since hunting has been banned, the hunters, being acquainted with the area, have designed many alternates to trap and kill wild animals and set up the traps along the frequent tracks of wild animals, said SS Kanwar, Conservator of Forest, Wildlife Surguja Division.
“They (hunters) hook down electricity from high tension wires running above and link it to the trap and take away the animals. The Electricity Department has laid the power lines without permission and the ruckus has followed ever since”, he added.
The hunters get a high price for providing the exotic chittal’s, kotari’s, and other meats for meals in the areas of Mainpat and surrounding tourist destinations like Kadraj and Sapnadar. The Forest Dept has no data when it comes to small animals and hence no concrete steps have been taken to put a stop to these killings.
“The Forest Department has sent a letter to the Electricity Dept conveying the same”, claimed AB Minz, Chief Conservator of Forest, Surguja.
“We are conducting a survey in the area and soon after we will send the detailed letter to the Board based on our findings”, assured Surajpur, District Forest Officer.
“We haven’t found any concentrated poacher’s group. They might be the villagers. But, to control it, we have increased the patrolling and are using various means to spread awareness among the people”, he replied, when asked about the curb the poachers’ trap.
The Electricity Board and the officials, on the other hand, denied any knowledge of receiving any letter. Subrat Sahu, Secretary in-charge, Electricity Department, Chhattisgarh commented over the issue saying, “We haven’t received any letter from the Forest Department in this regard. But, since it’s a serious issue, it requires a holistic approach to resolve it.”
“Shifting the route of power lines throughout the forest requires nearly ₹2000 crore which is not a viable option for the Department now”, a senior official of the Electricity Department said, requesting anonymity. Over the years many cases have come to the limelight, yet forest and electricity board authorities have failed to implement tactics that would put an end to this mad killing of wildlife as well as that of humans. Coming down heavily on the Government and officials concerned, Environmentalist Laxmi Chouhan claimed that neither the Forest Department nor the Electricity Department cares about the animals.
“Many human and animal lives have been lost in the past few years, but the officials of both Departments have been playing with the letters. This is disgraceful. The Government should immediately intervene to address the issue and save the innocent lives”, she said.
