The Forest Department has formed a committee to investigate and verify the facts regarding the deaths of elephants, especially the young ones, in the past one year.
As per an order issued by the office of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden, dated March 31, the committee will comprise four members, three of whom are IFS officers.
I. Anwardeen, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Working Plan), will be the committee's convener. The other members of the committee are C.H. Padma, Working Plan Officer, Vellore; J.R. Samartha, Deputy Conservator of Forests (on compulsory wait); and K. Kalidasan, president of Coimbatore-based NGO Osai.
“The committee is requested to go on [to] the field, visit the site of occurrence of the incidents and find out the factors responsible for such deaths of elephants and verify the facts. They are also requested to convene a local meeting with the nearby public and field team to evolve methodologies for intensive monitoring to avoid future unnatural incidences, and submit an action plan to facilitate better monitoring to reduce such incidences,” the order read.
