COIMBATORE: The Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam has opposed the draft elephant corridor plan released by the forest department recently. It demanded the withdrawal of the report and threatened protests otherwise.
Addressing media persons on Thursday, association’s president S Palanisamy urged the state government to withdraw the report saying it would affect farmers living along the western ghats.
“The TN government and the forest department has published a 161-page report in English to identify the elephant routes and establish a migration path. The report could be published in Tamil when the CM had passed a resolution in the Assembly to publish advertisements in Tamil,” he said.
He said the report identifies 42 elephant routes in Coimbatore and said it was unacceptable as 57 villages fall in the corridor. Further, he said the forest department was acting unilaterally without consulting farmers and plans to acquire more than 520 acres of farm lands in Mettupalayam, Sirumugai, Karamadai, Boluvampatti, Periyanaickenpalayam in Coimbatore for the elephant route.
“In Madukkarai, more than 40 wild elephants have been hit by trains and died. The forest department has not removed luxury hotels, educational institutes, etc.,” he said.