Whose elephant is it anyway?
It's the tale of 90 odd elephants who journeyed to the forests of Chhattisgarh several years ago in search of food and water. But now the state wants neighbouring Jharkhand to take them back.
It's the tale of 90 odd elephants who journeyed to the forests of Chhattisgarh several years ago in search of food and water. But now the state wants neighbouring Jharkhand to take them back.
The forest authorities in Chhattisgarh say the 94 migratory elephants had wreaked havoc in 132 villages of the state and have written to their Jharkhand counterparts to ensure the return of the animals to their home state.
The three districts of Chhattisgarh where the tuskers have apparently taken shelter are Jaspur, Korba and Sarguja. The written request specifies that 73 of the elephants were in Jaspur, 13 in Korba and 8 in Sarguja.
The letter, according to a source in the forest department, says Chhattisgarh has to pay Rs 8 million to people as compensation as the elephants have damaged standing crops and trampled people.
The exodus of the elephants began in 1998 when Jharkhand was part of Bihar and Chattisgarh was part of Madhya Pradesh.
"It seems the sal forests, a permanent water source, have attracted the tuskers to Chhattisgarh," said a forest official.
The man-elephant conflict has taken a toll in Jharkhand too, with over 300 people trampled to death in the last four years.
The Jharkhand government has formulated a policy that Rs 100,000 will be paid as compensation to the families of people killed by elephants.