Wildlife activists have objected to the Forest Department digging a trench which they believe will block elephant movement on the Chilla-Motichur corridor in Rajaji National Park. According to officials this trench is being dug as a temporary measure to prevent elephants from approaching human settlements in the Raiwala area. However, activists point out that considering that a flyover is being constructed and residents of Khandgaon are being rehabilitated to maintain this wildlife corridor, excavating a trench that will block elephant movement on this corridor is questionable.
In a message sent to the principal chief conservator of forests SS Sharma and the Rajaji National Park field director SP Subudhi, the Wildlife Protection Society of India, Uttarakhand in-charge Rajendra Agrawal has stated that on Saturday, a JCB was working about 100 metres ahead of Motichur towards Raiwala on the Chilla Motichur corridor. On enquiry, I was shocked to know that a deep trench is being dug to prevent elephant movement. “This is very unfortunate that on the one hand the Government is working on a flyover and resettlement of Khandgaon to save the Chilla-Motichur corridor while on the other hand such a trench is dug to block this corridor,” he said. Activists point out that elephants generally move towards Khandgaon and not towards Raiwala that frequently as is being cited by officials as the reason for the trench being excavated.
However, the Rajaji National Park field director said that the trench was only a temporary measure to prevent elephants from moving towards Raiwala. The flyover will take about a year to complete and by that time the trench would not pose a problem for the wildlife, he said. It is worth mentioning here that wildlife activists have been opposing some recent activities in the national park like the construction of a flood safety wall along the Song river in the Gohri range of Rajaji. While officials state that ramps along the wall will enable elephants to move across the riverbank, the wildlife activists point out that the construction of this wall has already started affecting elephant movement as seen when an elephant recently passed via Thakurpur area.