MADIKERI: To curb the elephant menace in the conflicted areas of the state, the Karnataka government formed Elephant Task Force (ETF) primarily in Kodagu, Chikmagalur, Hassan and Mysuru districts in the month of November.
While the ETF teams have been formed and have remained functional since their establishment, the officials have not been paid salaries for nearly three months now.
The district of Chamarajnagar has also added to the elephant-conflict districts a month ago and the ETF team has been established.
Each district has been appointed a Deputy Forest Officer, Range Forest Officer, four Deputy Range Forest Officers and eight forest guards under the ETF on a permanent basis.
Further, 36 forest watchers have been appointed as outsourced staff to the ETF. In Kodagu, the ETF team has been active since its inception and had recently taken part in the capture mission of the conflict tiger that claimed the lives of two labourers in Ponnampet limits.
Apart from extending support at the elephant conflict areas, the team from Kodagu had also taken part in the capture mission of the conflict leopard at T Narasipura.
However, none of the officials has been paid salaries even though they reported to work by November 30th last year. While the outsourced staff of the ETF has received payments, none of the officials of the ETF has been paid yet.
“We were assured additional allowance and other benefits. But have not received the basic salary. Without payment for nearly three months, we are unable to pay up EMIs and loans,” shared an officer.