VIJAYAWADA: Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan, who also holds the portfolios of Forest and Environment, has directed Forest Department officials to enforce round-the-clock surveillance in Chittoor and Tirupati districts, where elephant herds have been damaging crops and posing risks to villagers.
During a video conference on Tuesday, the Deputy Chief Minister reviewed recent incidents of crop destruction and the death of a farmer following an elephant attack. Pawan Kalyan stressed the need for real-time alerts to be issued through village-level WhatsApp groups, enabling timely warnings about elephant movement. He instructed that these alerts be monitored by Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) offices and the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF).
He also called for immediate implementation of measures to divert elephant herds away from farmland and back into forest areas using non-invasive techniques. Officials also reported a new incident in Chandragiri constituency, where a herd of 11 elephants, including four calves, damaged fields near Satya Sai ST Colony close to Kalyani Dam.