Rain affects efforts to contain tusker menace in Nellore

Nellore: Forest department's bid to contain the menace of wild elephants, which is causing misery to farmers by damaging standing crops in Kuppam region of Chittoor district, has been hit by various field level problems.

The department's initiative to dig trenches to a length of 125 km in Kuppam and 61 km in Palamaner to keep tuskers aw-ay from farm lands and habitations remained in-complete due to hard rock under the soil. As per the design, the trench should be three metres width on the top, two metres at the bottom and three metres depth.

Contractors involved in the work gave up after their earth moving machines damaged while digging in the area dotted with hard rock.

Forest department dec-ided to use blasting met-hod to overcome the pro-blems, however, they were forced to suspend the work half the way becau-se of heavy rains and water flow in the strea-ms above the rocky soil.

Another initiative to install barricades and gates near 126 streams identified in Kuppam region to thwart tuskers from entering agriculture fields and habitations was also affected due to rains.

Speaking to this newspaper, Palamaner sub-divisional forest officer M. Ravi Shankar Sharma said that they have planned to install 21 gates close to the roads besides barricades in eight locations wherever the pachyderms cross the road to keep them confined to the forest instead of trespassing into habitations and called for tenders.

He said that the trenching work was affected due to overflowing streams but expressed confidence to complete the work in five months.

Reacting to a question, he said that elephants are most intelligent animals, while pointing to elephants crossing iron barricades by bending them after farmers made a small way for cattle to cross.

Moreover, farmers are also disturbing the solar fencing installed in Nanyal area in Ramakuppam mandal to take cattle for grazing into the forest.

Meanwhile forest officials booked a case against Raja Reddy in a case related to electrocution of an elephant two days ago and he will be arrested soon.