Orissa identifies 14 elephant corridors to avoid man-animal conflict

By Ratikant Mohanty
Bhubaneswar, Jan. 19: Succumbing to pressures by public and animal lovers, the Orissa government on Tuesday announced 14 places as elephant corridors.
The announcement followed a high-level review meeting by chief minister Naveen Patnaik.
The corridors, as chief minister Naveen Patnaik said, would provide better habitats for the pachyderms with adequate water bodies, food facility and security.
The 14 places which were identified as elephant corridors are Badampahar, Badampahar-Karida, Deuli-Suliapada, Similipal, Hadgada-Kulad, Telkoi-Pallahara, Karei-Karampada, Maulaganj-Jindimal-Anantpur, Kanheijena-Anantpur, Buguda-Nayagarh, Nuagaon-Baruni, Tala-Kholagarh, Barpahar-Tarabha-Kantamal, Kotagarh-Chandrapur and Karlapat-Bharladani.
The 14 corridors are spread over 870 square kilometers.
The review found that the elephant population in the state – as per 2007 census – was 1862, - 35 more than the 1999 census figure. The state has 27 per cent of the country’s elephant population.
On an average, 48 people are dying in elephant attack every year. The pachyderms are also destroying crops in around 5400 hectares of land.
The state government has formed 51 squads to prevent and death of elephants by accidents and arrest poachers. Besides, 98 trackers have been formed to monitor the movement of the animal.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, chief minister Mr Patnaik said creation of new elephant corridors would prevent man-animal conflict as elephants would not venture out for food leaving their protected places.
Because of mining increasing activities, blasting in hills and depletion of forest cover, pachyderms are regularly entering cultivable lands and eating away standing crops, besides killing human beings.
www.indusvalleytimes.com

2 detained in Russian woman attack case

By Biswa Ranjan Mishra
Puri, Jan. 19: The local police on Tuesday detained two suspects in connection with the mugging of a Russian woman at Puri, nearly 65 km from here on Monday.
“We have detained two suspects in their early twenties on Tuesday in connection with the incident and interrogation is on to identify the real culprit” B.P. Pati, inspector-in-charge of the Puri Sadar police station told this newspaper.
The attack on the foreign tourist has shocked the state administration.
The chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday severely condemned the attack on the overseas visitor describing it “most unfortunate.”
He said that stringent action would be taken against the culprit.
He asked the police to arrest the accused at the earliest.
Taking a serious view of the matter, state chief secretary T.K. Mishra said a meeting would soon be convened here to review and evolve security measures for tourists on the Puri sea beach.
An unidentified miscreant stabbed the Russian - Lisina Nadezda (34) and robbed her of Rs 200 and a mobile phone set when she was cycling on a lonely part of Puri beach on Monday. She sustained injuries on her left hand.
A telecom engineer by profession, Lisina arrived at Puri on Saturday for the first time for holidaying. She returned to Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.
Police said she has a tourist visa till May this year.
Source: http://www.indusvalleytimes.com/