The Madras High Court today suggested the central and state governments take note of movements of elephants across the country and to avoid laying of roads or railway lines in those areas so that human-animal conflict may not happen in future.
Disposing a PIL, the first bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Kumar Agrawal and Justice M Sathyanarayanan, said increase in human population resulted in erasing of forest lands and roads and railway lines were laid across forest areas curtailing the movements of elephants.
Wildlife photographer E Seshan in his PIL sought to quash forest officials' order of August 19 confining elephants permanently in captivity and wanted a direction to authorities to release the animals in a suitable wild area.
The bench also referred to instances in Assam and Kerala where elephants were hit by trains when they attempted to cross railway lines.
As for the issue mentioned in the PIL, the bench directed the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and the Chief Wildlife Warden to conduct periodical assessment of elephants kept in Mudumalai and Anamalai Reserves and relocate them to forest areas when authorities felt the need.
A herd of six elephants, which crossed the Javvadu hills in Tiruvannamalai and Vellore districts, was captured by state forest officials, following complaints from people after they killed 18 persons and caused damage to agricultural crops in the area. The animals were later taken to Mudumalai and Anamalai Reserves.
The forest officials, in their counter, said their efforts to drive the pachyderms back into the forests failed since elephants, after having tasted the agricultural produce such as sugarcane, returned to the farm lands at their will.
The forest officials said their decision was taken only after getting instructions from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (Project Elephant Division).
