Chennai: A Public Interest Litigation has been filed in the Madras high court to direct the authorities not to conduct the Elephant Rejuvenation Camp in Thekkampatti Village, Mettupalayam Taluk, Coimbatore District.
A division bench comprising Justices M. Sathyanarayanan and P. Rajamanickam before whom the PIL filed by T. Pandurangan, president of Thekkampatti 23 Grama Vivasayigal Orungi-naippu Kuzhu and also a former district councilor, came up for hearing, adjourned it by 4 weeks, after Special government pleader M. Maharaja took notice for HR&CE.
According to petitioner, the village Thekkampatti was situated along the banks of Bhavani river. It was also very close to the reserve forest area of Western Ghats. Hence, several wild life animals such as elephants and bisons could very often be seen in the vicinity. Sometimes, even leopards could be spotted. The villagers have been making representations to the authorities to take necessary action to save the villagers and crops from the wild animals. When they have been living under constant threat from the wild animals, all of a sudden the HR&CE department shifted the yearly elephant rejuvenation camp from Theppakkadu in Mudumalai to Thekkampatti village. Initially, the villagers did not know the repercussions of the said camp, he added.
He said during the camp, the number of elephants entering into the village increased. On enquiry, they understood that most of the elephants brought for the camp from various temples were female elephants and either by smell or by instinct, the male elephants from the interior forest attempt to enter into the camp and in the process they enter into the agricultural lands and the villages too. Many a times, when they were prevented from entering into the camp, they do not go back into the forest.
When several elephants keep rounding the area, the people of all the 23 villages were kept under constant threat. Every time, when they fail in entering into the camp, the elephants roam around furiously and attack human beings. Within a short period of 6 years, the villagers have lost 16 valuable human lives.
Moreover, there are a few drinking water scheme based on the Bhavani rivers. But after the starting of the camp, the water was highly polluted as washing the elephants, cleaning the elephant wastes mixes with the water in the same area, where water was drawn for the drinking water schemes, he added.
