BHUBANESWAR: In wake of the escalating human-elephant conflict along Odisha-West Bengal border, the Save Elephant Foundation Trust (SEFT) on Monday pressed for urgent cross-border mitigation strategies and enhanced relief for local farmers in both the states.
A delegation of SEFT, comprising its trustee, former PCCF-cum-former Lokayukta chairperson in-charge Debabrata Swain and SEFT chairman Rajanikanta Jena, met West Bengal Forest minister Manoj Kumar Oraon on the day to discuss the matter.
The delegation requested the minister to convene a high-level joint coordination meeting between stakeholders from the two states for cross-border mitigation measures against the man-elephant conflict.
They also proposed that a consultative session, bring together Forest ministers and officials concerned of both states, be hosted at Baripada, Kharagpur or Jhargram, with SEFT offering to coordinate the initiative.
“Minister Oraon appreciated the approach and assured that a formal meeting would be organised in due course in consultation with the PCCF and HoFF of West Bengal,” Swain said.
He said a representation was also submitted to the minister highlighting the disparity in compensation packages for crop damage. The SEFT pointed out that West Bengal currently offers `6,000 per acre for elephant-induced crop depredation. In contrast, the Odisha government provides `20,000 per acre for paddy and food crops and up to `25,000 per acre for cash crops.
The trust urged the West Bengal government to revise its compensation scheme to match Odisha’s rates and ease the financial distress of affected farmers.
Trust officials informed that a stakeholder meeting had been previously organised in 2023 in Kharagpur Forest Division of West Bengal. The trust has also mobilised cross-border ‘Hati Sathi’ teams to facilitate safe elephant movement on both sides, they said.
