Orissa HC asks discoms for plan to cease electrocution deaths of elephants in state

By Express News Service

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has directed electrical power distribution corporations (discoms) working throughout the state to roll out a plan for altering {the electrical} fences wherever found with photo voltaic power fences to cease elephant deaths because of electrocution.

A division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice Gourishankar Satapathy issued the course on Tuesday whereas expressing dissatisfaction over steps being taken to avert elephant deaths because of electrocution.

“In the considered view of the court, not enough steps have been taken to prevent deaths of elephants due to electrocution in Odisha. This is despite the comprehensive action plan (CAP) being made available to the electricity distribution companies (discoms) for nearly two months now”, the bench acknowledged.

The discoms had engaged Support for Network and Extension Help Agency (SNEHA) having experience in engaged on human-elephant battle factors in Karnataka to undertake a study in two districts-Dhenkanal and Angul. The report submitted by SNEHA had suggested use of alternate 6V photograph voltaic or DC fence set-up which is ready to repel wildlife or set off an alarm instead of inflicting causality.

Endorsing SNEHA’s suggestion, the bench acknowledged, “The court would like to be informed by the next date the exact extent of such 6V solar power/DC fences that have been erected in place of the electric fences which were earlier being used. It is absolutely essential for the discoms to immediately identify all such instances of illegal hooking of electricity transmission lines to power such electric fences illegally put up in the villages and discontinue the practice forthwith.”

The bench mounted July 19 as the following date for extra consideration of the matter.

The courtroom docket was listening to 4 comparable PILs filed by Balgopal Mishra (2013), Dwija Dalpati (2015), Mrinalini Padhi (2015) and Gita Rout (2022) highlighting the extraordinary problem relating to deaths of elephants. While directing different {of electrical} fences with photograph voltaic ones, the bench moreover requested the CEOs of the 4 discoms to immediately convene a gathering inside each week whereby the chairperson of the Joint Task Force (JTF) might even participate and chalk out a time-bound plan for ending the survey of the entire villages of their respective zones which have witnessed movement of untamed animals, assaults by wild animals, destruction of crops and deaths of untamed animals because of electrocution.

Affidavits submitted in courtroom docket acknowledged 18 elephants had died during the last two months and 4 of them because of electrocution. During the interval, 20 people moreover misplaced their lives because of assaults by elephants.

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has directed electrical power distribution corporations (discoms) working throughout the state to roll out a plan for altering {the electrical} fences wherever found with photo voltaic power fences to cease elephant deaths because of electrocution.

A division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice Gourishankar Satapathy issued the course on Tuesday whereas expressing dissatisfaction over steps being taken to avert elephant deaths because of electrocution.

“In the considered view of the court, not enough steps have been taken to prevent deaths of elephants due to electrocution in Odisha. This is despite the comprehensive action plan (CAP) being made available to the electricity distribution companies (discoms) for nearly two months now”, the bench acknowledged.googletag.cmd.push(carry out() googletag.present(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); );

The discoms had engaged Support for Network and Extension Help Agency (SNEHA) having experience in engaged on human-elephant battle factors in Karnataka to undertake a study in two districts-Dhenkanal and Angul. The report submitted by SNEHA had suggested use of alternate 6V photograph voltaic or DC fence set-up which is ready to repel wildlife or set off an alarm instead of inflicting causality.

Endorsing SNEHA’s suggestion, the bench acknowledged, “The court would like to be informed by the next date the exact extent of such 6V solar power/DC fences that have been erected in place of the electric fences which were earlier being used. It is absolutely essential for the discoms to immediately identify all such instances of illegal hooking of electricity transmission lines to power such electric fences illegally put up in the villages and discontinue the practice forthwith.”

The bench mounted July 19 as the following date for extra consideration of the matter.

The courtroom docket was listening to 4 comparable PILs filed by Balgopal Mishra (2013), Dwija Dalpati (2015), Mrinalini Padhi (2015) and Gita Rout (2022) highlighting the extraordinary problem relating to deaths of elephants. While directing different {of electrical} fences with photograph voltaic ones, the bench moreover requested the CEOs of the 4 discoms to immediately convene a gathering inside each week whereby the chairperson of the Joint Task Force (JTF) might even participate and chalk out a time-bound plan for ending the survey of the entire villages of their respective zones which have witnessed movement of untamed animals, assaults by wild animals, destruction of crops and deaths of untamed animals because of electrocution.

Affidavits submitted in courtroom docket acknowledged 18 elephants had died during the last two months and 4 of them because of electrocution. During the interval, 20 people moreover misplaced their lives because of assaults by elephants.