COIMBATORE: After much deliberation, the work on setting up a steel wire fence has commenced near the forest boundary in Coimbatore and Boluvampatti forest ranges in Coimbatore Forest Division.
The proposed steel wire fence will extend to 10 feet in height for a total of 10 km, at a cost of Rs 5 crore.
The 10-km stretch is located Vettaikarankovil in Bolampatti range to Kottaimuthumariamman Kovil in Coimbatore range, via Attukal tribal settlement. Currently, clearing of bushes is under way, and once the work is over, setting up of steel structures for fixing poles will be taken up by the contractor.
"In the last six years, we have completed fixing steel wire fences for a total of 30km at different spots in Hosur forest division in Krishnagiri district and are seeing good results in preventing wild elephant intrusion. We have proposed to install a 10-foot-high steel wire fence in Coimbatore forest division since the existing seven and eight feet steel wire fences installed at Hosur division are less in height. A wire fence can withstand up to 18 tonnes, and we are proposing ten strands of steel wire between the two poles," said Sanjeev Kumar, founder of Astro Fencing Solutions.
"The steel wire fence won't sag even if an elephant presses on it with its body weight. In Hosur division, we installed pre-cast concrete pillars, which is now being improved to high-strength steel pillars. The same will be replicated in the Coimbatore forest division. We will also be using a steel spacer instead of eucalyptus spacers to hold the steel wire ropes in place. The eucalyptus poles are prone to weakening due to weathering, while steel space will have a long life," he said.
The Hosur-based company, after implementing the initiative successfully, will be replicating similar advanced measures to prevent the wild elephant intrusion since both the Coimbatore and Boluvampatti forest range are witnessing increased human-elephant conflict in the last decade.
According to forest sources, the works will be completed within the next three months as rocky ground conditions are delaying the work related to fixing of pillars.
Chief Minister MK Stalin announced the steel wire fencing work on November 6. However, the project was put on hold after a Chennai-based animal rights activist raised concern that the project would be a hindrance to elephant movement. After a special division bench of Justices N Sathish Kumar and D Bharatha Chakravarthy, the amicus curiae and other carried out field inspection at Devarayapuram and Thondamuthur on September 5, they directed the Tamil Nadu forest department to go ahead with their plan with some directions, including monitoring of elephant movement using cameras.
