The Madras High Court Bench here on Thursday directed Principal Chief Conservator of Forests to consider a representation made by a lawyer to constitute special teams for cracking down on agriculturalists who had erected illegal high-voltage electric fencing around their farm lands situated near Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tirunelveli district.
A Division Bench of Justices R. Sudhakar and V.M. Velumani passed the order on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by advocate S. Ramesh Kumar of Karaikudi who claimed that many farmers around the tiger reserve had installed electric fencing, without obtaining prior permission from the forest department, to protect their lands from intrusion of wild animals.
In an affidavit, filed through his counsel R. Alagumani, the petitioner stated that he recently came across a news report in a Tamil daily about the death of bear due to electrocution in Kadayam forest range situated close to the tiger reserve. Subsequent enquiries made by him revealed that such deaths occur due to illegal electric fencing put up by farmers around forest areas.
Pointing out that the forest department usually grants permission to farmers to erect solar-powered electric fencing that transmits only 23 voltage of electricity, the petitioner said that those who install electric fencing illegally, and without the knowledge of the forest department, end up supplying 230 voltage of electricity on the fencing thereby turning it deadly for the wild animals.
“I came to know that if small animals such as rabbit, wild boar or deer die due to electrocution, then they are used as food. But when big animals die, persons with vested interest bury the carcass without informing the forest officials,” the petitioner said and sought for a direction to constitute special teams comprising of forest, revenue, electricity and police officials to stop the illegal activity.
