The Ministry of Forest and Environment, Government of India has sought proposal for the elephants in the tiger reserve Palamu under Airawat Yojna. The Airawat Yojna is to be funded from ‘CAMPA’ (compensatory afforestation) funds.
Sources said as the Gaj Pariyojna does not cover the elephants of tiger reserve Palamu the Government of India wants a separate proposal for the elephants of tiger reserve Palamu and accordingly the State department of forest and environment has asked the officials of the tiger reserve Palamu to prepare a proposal for elephants here.
Sources said Gaj Pariyojna is for Singhbhum and Dalma reserves only.
Confirming this DFO Core of the tiger reserve Palamu Anil Kumar Mishra said, “The Gaj Priyojna does not take the elephants of our place in its ambit. Hence the government of India has launched a scheme called Airawat Yojna. It is for the elephants of those areas which are un covered by the Gaj Priyojna like our tiger reserve Palamu.”
Mishra further confirmed that the state forest and environment department has sought a proposal for elephants from tiger reserve Palamu. Preparation of the proposal for this Airawat Yojna is in full swing here. Mishra said it will be first sent to director tiger project AS Rawat here.
Sources said there are in all 700 elephants in the whole of this State Jharkhand. Corroborating this figure Mishra said thirty percent of this total number of pachyderm is in this Palamu tiger reserve and hence this Government of India’s Airawat Yojna will be most helpful in reducing the conflict between this scheduled I wild life elephant and human beings.
Under this Airawat Yojna a ‘Hathi Sewa Kendra’ is to be set up here in this tiger reserve. The Hathi Sewa Kendra is a kind of rescue and rehabilitation of injured or maimed and ailing elephant.
DFO Core said, “If this Hathi Sewa Kendra is set up it will be a long overdue here’. Haryana state has no elephant but Haryana has a rescue centre for the jumbos. Here in this tiger reserve there are 30 per cent of the total of 700 elephants (That is 210 elephants in PTR) there is no rescue centre for this wildlife.”
Sources said the PTR will be segmented in three zones depending upon the trail of the severity of damages and destruction caused by the elephants. Zone A will be where the trail of destruction by elephants is high. Zone B and C will be in the descending order added Mishra.
Sources said the Airawat Yojna will pave the way for compensation to victims of elephant’s rampage.
According to DFO Core, more than 13 lakhs rupees as compensation has been paid last financial year to the victims (dead or alive) of fury of elephants.