Hassan: A hotspot of man elephant conflict, Sakleshpur in Hassan is now doing its bit to conserve the population of the jumbos.
The elephants here are not only targeted by poachers, but are also electrocuted by sagging power cables. Waking up to the threat, the authorities concerned are now installing taller electric poles and reducing the distance between them to save the jumbos from such a tragic end.
In the past, the region had eight metre tall electric poles and the distance between them was about 70 metres, which caused the power cables to sag and put them within easy reach of elephants raising their trunks.
The result was tragic as many of the jumbos died from electrocution.
Responding to the problem, the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited has in consultation with the forest department now reduced the distance between electric poles to 35 to 40 metres to prevent the sagging of power lines in the villages of Yeslur, Kadamane and their surroundings that are in the midst of elephant corridors.
Power cables too have been raised by about 23 metres from the ground to put them out of the reach of elephants.
The exercise that has been on for a year, has seen as many as 4,500 new electric poles installed at a cost of about Rs 5 crore. The KPTCL reportedly plans to add another 2,000 tall poles to cover the full length of the elephant corridor in Sakleshpur to keep the animals safe.
Welcoming the move, forest officials explain it is in accordance with the High Court’s directive on conservation of elephants. “We are happy that Sakleshpur has not reported any electrocution deaths among the elephants for over a year,” they add.
