NILGIRIS: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday handed over keys to newly built houses for mahouts and kavadis (assistants) at the Theppakkadu elephant camp in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), recognising their service in caring for captive elephants. A total of 44 houses, built at a cost of `5.06 crore, were inaugurated during his visit. It has been named Mahout village.
Members of the tribal community welcomed the chief minister with traditional music and dance performances. Stalin, who is on a five-day tour of the Nilgiris district, also planted a sapling and interacted with Bomman and Belli, the tribal couple featured in the Oscar-winning documentary ‘The Elephant Whisperers’. He later fed sugarcane and fruits to captive elephants, including Bama and Kamatchi, and posed for photographs alongside them.
During the event, Stalin also flagged off 30 new Bolero vehicles and all-terrain vehicles for forest range officers, procured at a cost of Rs 2.93 crore. Addressing the media, Stalin said steps would be taken to bring further development to Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.
Earlier in the day, Stalin stopped at Mavanallah en route to Theppakkadu and interacted with residents to hear their grievances. He also inaugurated a 15-km aerial bunched cable line laid between Thorapalli and Theppakkadu at a cost of Rs 5 crore, aimed at ensuring the safety of wild elephants by replacing hazardous overhead electric lines.