Elephants killed 452 people since 2001 Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, July 17 – A total of 452 people have been killed by wild elephants in the State from 2001 to May 24, 2009. The year 2006 witnessed the maximum death of 79 people, followed by 61 in 2005, 54 in 2004, 52 in 2008, 49 in 2001, 46 in 2002, and 44 each in 2003 and 2007.
The district-wise break-up for the worst-affected districts is Sonitpur (153 deaths), Nagaon (52 deaths), Goalpara (50 deaths), , Golaghat (43 deaths) and Karbi Anglong (39 deaths).
A total of Rs 119.15 lakh has been paid to the families of 405 victims as ex-gratia during the period, while the process is on to compensate the rest 47.
Replying to a question from Keshab Mahanta (AGP), Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain today told the Assembly that while an immediate and lasting solution to the problem was impractical, the State Government had adopted both short-term and long-term measures for mitigating the intensifying man-elephant conflict.
“We have increased the compensation for a person killed by elephants to Rs 40,000, and the State Government has formed a corpus of Rs 50 lakh for the purpose. Damage to crops and houses is also being compensated,” Hussain said.
Pointing out that south Nagaon was among the worst-hit areas, Aditya Langthasa (AUDF) urged the Government to enhance the compensation further, as Rs 40,000 was too meagre a sum. “If the State Government can give well over a lakh of rupees to people killed in blasts, why the preferential treatment to victims of elephant depredation?,” he questioned, calling for a compensation of at least Rs 1 lakh.
Ranjit Dutta (BJP) said that many victims of Sonitpur and west Sonitpur were yet to be compensated.
On the steps taken to mitigate the conflict, Hussain said that a 24-hour elephant control force was in operation while electrical fencing had been erected at some more vulnerable places besides using domesticated elephants to ward off herds of wild elephants. The long-term measures included plantation of trees favoured by elephants in elephant habitats so that they did not leave their habitat in search of food.
Answering another question from TP Das (Congress), the minister said that the State Government had released the following amounts for compensation for death, injury and crop and house damage over the last three years – Rs 25.935 lakh in 2006-07, Rs 40 lakh in 2007-08 (both under Centrally-sponsored Project Elephant), and Rs 142.86 lakh in 2008-09 (Rs 42.86 lakh under Project Elephant and Rs 100 lakh State Government fund).
