COIMBATORE: As part of its efforts to reduce the death of elephants on railway tracks, the State forest department has planned to encourage farmers to cultivate crops that would not attract wild animals. This is in addition to implementing scientific methods to monitor elephant movement on tracks.
Drawn to crops such as banana, sugarcane and maize cultivated close to the tracks, elephant try to cross railway line B and A, and often get hit by trains in the Madukkarai forest range in the Coimbatore forest division, sources said.
Four wild elephants, including a pregnant tusker, were run over by a train near Navakkarai in Madukkarai forest range on November 26.
The Coimbatore forest division is now planning to install six e-surveillance cameras on railway tracks A and B at Solakkarai to end such accidents. Apart from these technology-based solutions, officials are also seeking the cooperation of farmers.” If they change crop pattern, we can reduce human-animal conflict,” said an official. Conservator of forest and and ATR field director S Ramasubramanian said, “We have decided to raise awareness among farmers to change their cropping pattern, especially near the railway tracks in Madukkarai. We understand that banana is a cash crop. So, as an alternative, they can grow marigold which is also a cash crop. Likewise, areca nut plantation can be an option as these animals cannot damage them, he said.
“We will rope in NGOs to conduct the sensitization programmes for farmers for the next five years, with two meetings each year. We have sent a proposal to the State government seeking `1 lakh for this,” he said. “We have also sought `5 lakh for conducting orientation programmes for railway officials and field staff since they should also understand the animal’s behaviour,” he added.
Tamil Nadu Farmers Association North District Secretary R Manokaran, however, said they would agree to the proposal only if forest department could procure the entire produce at market rates. “The profit margins will not be the same as of banana, sugarcane or maize crops. Also, these are edible produce being used by locals as well,” he said. Meanwhile, sources said forest department officials have planned to move solar fences installed in farm lands 20 m away from the tracks to facilitate movement of elephants.