KARWAR: The budget gave a big push to resolving the man-elephant conflict and expanding green cover as CM Siddaramaiah set aside Rs 622 crore for afforestation and man-elephant conflict mitigation, with an ambitious target of planting 50 lakh saplings under the new Sasya Shyamala scheme.
Extending the earlier programme to construct barricades to prevent elephants from straying into human habitations in Mysuru, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan and other districts, the state government has allocated Rs 120 crore to construct over 200 km of barricades.
“During our last tenure, we had proposed to construct 520 km of forest barricades. Under this plan, an estimated 312 km of barricade has been constructed and priority will be to construct the rest with Rs 120 crore in 2023-24,” said Siddaramaiah.
With the elephant task force set up in Mysuru, Mandya, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan and Kodagu districts, two new task forces will be set up in Ramanagara and Bannerghatta area. Also, two more rehabilitation centres to rescue animals will come up in Shivamogga and Belagavi.
There will be another blackbuck reserve in Bidar for which Rs 2 crore has been allocated. “Bidar district is home to a large number of blackbucks, and a Blackbuck Conservation Reserve will be declared,” he said.
“Less than 10% of the area in 17 districts of Bayaluseeme (dry area) region of the state has forest cover. There is a proposal to implement the Hasireekarana programme in these districts in convergence with MNREGS at a cost of `500 crore for 5 years,” he said.