An eight-km-long aluminum wire fencing to ward off elephants near human settlements here has proved a failure. The fence is now lying in a shambles. Ever since it has been erected, the elephants have grown more vindictive ostensibly due to being obstructed and have been creating more troubles for the locals.
The Athagarh forest division had erected the solar fencing starting from Phulabari to Nandailo at an estimated cost of `23 lakh two years back. Its sole motto was to checking entry of elephant herds in household areas, besides making the Mahanadi riverside road free from jumbos where hundreds of passersby commute every day. The fence is covered with three-layer aluminum wires tagged over concrete bars and charged with solar power. Its facility at a central location receives solar light during day, converts it to electricity and charges the wires from evening to early morning. According to sources, lakhs of rupees have also been spent for repairing the fence. But it has failed to meet its purpose.