Four temporary employees looking after two rogue elephants - Lakshmisha of Shiroor Mutt and Maasti of Suttur Mutt - in Matthigod Elephant Camp of Ane Chowkur Range in Nagarahole National Park have been made to work without wages from the past three to five months.
Lakshmisha was brought to the camp for taming five months ago after it killed a mahout near Puttur in January and since then Shivalinga and Santhosh are looking after it. In another case, rogue elephant of Suttur Mutt, Maasti, was shifted to the camp three months ago and Vasantha and Vinu are taking care of it. All the four are tribals and temporary employees.
Sources said they have not got wages because of the difference between the top officials in the Forest Department.
“PCCF Dipak Sarmah (Wildlife) unilaterally ordered to shift these two elephants to the camp without consulting the local authorities. Hence, they took it as prestige issue and are not showing interest to get salary to the employees,” an official told Express.
Sticking to the work in the hope of getting salaries, an employee said, “If forest department had not engaged us, we would have been earning something by working in agriculture fields or in coffee estates in Kodagu. Now we were deprived of both and working without wages. We don’t know for how long we have to wait...”
Ane Chowkur RFO Devaraju said the delay in paying wages is because it is financial year end. This month all the four employees will get wages, he said.
On taming, he said the behaviour of Lakshmisha had improved while Maasti is yet to improve. Both were kept out of crawling fearing infection due to rainy season.
An official said Maasti was handed over to the forest department under animal exchange programme after two elephants calves were given to Suttur Mutt, but in the case of Lakshmisha it is not yet decided.
But the authorities of Shiroor Mutt have only paid Rs 70,000 as expenses for taming for one month and it has to pay arrears for five months, he said.
