The Uttarakhand Disaster Management Advisory Committee vice-chairman Vijay Saraswat has written to Chief Minister Harish Rawat requesting him to facilitate approval of Rs10 crore needed for construction of protection wall to protect settlements and farms adjoining Rajaji national park from elephants. The proposal for this work submitted by the Forest Department is presently pending approval in the State administration. In his letter to the CM, Saraswat has pointed out that raids by elephants and other wild animals are causing much damage to agriculture.
“I talked to the Rajaji national park administration on this issue and requested the construction of protection wall for preventing jumbo raids on farms. I was informed by department officials that a proposal had already been submitted for this purpose which was pending with the State administration. The Rajaji director had informed the additional principal chief conservator of forests (Planning and Financial Management) on December 11, 2014 that a total of Rs3446.50 lakh will be required for constructing 51.5 kms long protection wall at the rate of Rs60 lakh per kilometre to facilitate construction of the wall by 2017,” he states in the letter.
Saraswat has requested Rawat to facilitate swift approval to release of Rs10 crore for the construction of this protection wall. The department proposal has listed the length of protection wall needed in various parts falling near the nine ranges of the national park. The Rajaji administration has recommended the construction of the protection wall in order to mitigate the human-elephant conflict situations on the rise in settlements on the fringe of the national park. The wall was proposed to be constructed in three financial years and considering the protected area status of Rajaji the entire work would be undertaken by the department.