The inhabitants of Kurupam constituency facing issues with marauding elephant herds in recent years are pinning their hopes on a likely deployment of Kumki elephants from Karnataka. (Image: DC)
Visakhapatnam: The inhabitants of Kurupam constituency facing issues with marauding elephant herds in recent years are pinning their hopes on a likely deployment of Kumki elephants from Karnataka.
Twelve persons had lost their lives in elephant attacks there in the last ten years. Crops worth lakhs have been damaged.
Deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan met Karnataka chief minister and forest minister this week to seek the services of Kumki elephants from there to solve the problem in AP. The farmers of Kurupam constituency hope the deployment would be done in the region.
Tribal welfare minister Gummadi Sandhya Rani has been asking chief miniser Chandrababu Naidu to resolve the elephant herd problem in Kurupam. She told Deccan Chronicle on Thursday, "I raised this issue in my first speech in the assembly and urged the CM to implement steps similar to what was done during the previous TD term, such as 'Operation Gaja'.”
Now that the Kunki elephants are sought from Karnataka, I have requested the CM and deputy CM to authorise their use in Kurupam."
Elephant herds migrated from neighbouring Odisha around 2018 to Kurupam, causing considerable damage to crops and posing a threat to the safety of the villagers. Efforts to mitigate this issue have been ongoing, but the problem persists.
The local community has tried various methods to coexist with the elephants, but the threat remains as a constant concern.
Kurupam MLA Toyaka Jagadeeswari too brought all these problems to the notice of Pawan Kalyan.
Deccan Chronicle asked Manyam district forest officer Prasuna whether this would be possible. She responded, "It will be difficult to place Kumki elephants in Kurupam. They require a habitable space and a lot of water. Making these arrangements is currently difficult."
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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