Taking cognisance of the human-elephant conflict faced by the people
in Wokha district, the Nagaland Government is planning to develop a policy to
address the issue.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department Commissioner and
Secretary Y Kikheto Sema along with the officials and GIS team visited the elephant-hit
areas in Wokha district following concerns raised during the recent Assembly session.
During the visit, Sema assured the community elders and leaders of
the areas that the department will work out a policy and strategy to mitigate
the human-animal conflict and ensure a peaceful co-existence among the two.
The officials toured Mekokla village and had a detailed conversation
with the village elders and leaders.
The team had a meeting with the Englan Range Village Council Union
at Doyang Hydro. The team met Yanmhon Area Public Organisation and visited
recently hit areas at Liphi and Hayiyan villages.
The GIS team took drone images of the affected areas to collect
additional data from such areas.
They had a detailed interaction with the affected villages,
community elders of more than 20 villages from Sanis and Bhandari Sub-Division
in the presence of Lotha Hohos at Town Community Hall, Bhandari.
Kikheto Sema underlined that the population of elephants in the
world is over 5 lakh and India has an elephant population of around 30,000 and
more than 10,000 in the Northeast.
Assam has the maximum numbers of elephants in the Northeast with
more than 5,700, Meghalaya with 1,754, Arunachal Pradesh with 1,614 and
Nagaland has around 446.
Intanki National Park area has a higher population of elephants
followed by Wokha, Mon and adjoining districts of Mokokchung, Zunheboto and
Longleng.
During field visit and interaction with locals, Sema noted that due
to multiple developmental activities of humans, the traditional corridors where
the elephants migrate to and from the forest of Assam have been blocked.
The present elephant population is forced to settle in the restricted
range of forest falling in the conflicted areas.
He acknowledged the difficulties faced by the department staff and
informed that the department would review the manpower and resources with
logistics so that the forest staff are also well trained and well equipped to handle
any emergency and exigencies.
Understanding the needs, he said the department has recently posted
one Assistant Conservator of Forest to Baghty Forest Range.
For the shortage of staff, he assured that the department will work
out and that staffs from the other divisions will be posted to areas where
there is shortage.
He urged the community leaders to share their problems and
experience so that strategies and action plans can be made to reduce the
man-elephant conflicts.
With regard to compensation related applications, he assured that
the applications would be forwarded to appropriate authorities for
consideration.
The department will make a comprehensive plan to tackle
human-elephant conflict mitigation in the State, with special reference to
Wokha and neighbouring districts, he added.
Ritam Staff
