Nepal fence to keep elephants away may escalate into political row | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Nepal fence to keep elephants away may escalate into political row

Hindustan Times | By
Jun 13, 2016 12:46 PM IST

Nepal has erected the 18-km-long energised fence near the bank of Mechi river that divides the two countries.

Siliguri

Commuters stop and watch the elephant roaming on the highway. Nepal has erected an 18-km long energised fence near the bank of Mechi river in West Bengal to keep elephants away.(AP)
Commuters stop and watch the elephant roaming on the highway. Nepal has erected an 18-km long energised fence near the bank of Mechi river in West Bengal to keep elephants away.(AP)

A battery-operated fence erected by Nepal along the border to keep elephants from India away is set to snowball into a controversy with the West Bengal government writing to the Centre to raise the issue with the neighbouring country.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Nepal erected the 18-km-long energised fence near the bank of Mechi river that divides the two countries with aid from international funding agencies six months ago.

West Bengal forest minister Binay Krishna Barman, who held a high-level meeting with state forest officials in Sukna in Darjeeling on Saturday, raised objection over the fence along the international border by Nepal.

Barman said the fencing blocks the natural movement of the elephants.

“The state government has already written a letter to the Centre to take up the matter with the Nepal government,” Barman said.

Every year hundreds of elephants migrate from the forests of Assam and West Bengal into Nepal through the Indo-Nepal border and destroy crops in the villages on both sides.

The animals follow a traditional corridor to reach places like Bahundangi in eastern Nepal under Jhapa district after crossing forests of Sukna and Panighata in Darjeeling district of West Bengal.

Man-elephant conflict

Animesh Bose, programme coordinator of Siliguri-based Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation (HNAF), said man-elephant conflict is a serious issue along this border.

“The elephants’ corridor along the Indo-Nepal border has existed for thousands of years. If the movement of the elephants is blocked, it will create a disastrous effect in places like Kolabari and other basties under Kolabari beat of Panighata range,” Bose told HT.

He added that in the past 15 years, at least 20 elephants have died inside Nepal and more than 50 people have been killed on both the sides of the international border by elephants.

The animals reach the Indo-Nepal border twice a year during the rainy season and winter when maize and rice are cultivated respectively and often plunder crops during the night in Nepal and return to Kolabari forest on the India side in the morning.

In the past, Nepalese villagers and authorities have resorted to firing and poisoning of elephants killing a number of the pachyderms.

The elephant menace has often affected the cordial relation between the residents on both sides of the border. After joint efforts by India and Nepal to mitigate the problem fell flat, the Nepalese government decided to erect the fence.

Indian authorities believe that the energised fence will make the elephants hostile and eventually the animals will turn their ire against villagers on the Indian side leading to more destruction of crops and human lives.

Nepal, however, has said the fence would not bother the animals as well as Indians along the border.

“Necessary international guidelines have been followed while erecting the fence with the help of international donor agencies,” a senior Nepalese forest official requesting anonymity said.

Arjun Karki, the president of Nepal’s Nature Conservation Society, also said that the fence should not be a problem for India as it has been erected on Nepalese’s side where there are no forest tracts.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Mukhtar Ansari Death News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    I am working with Hindustan Times since 2001 and am posted in Siliguri, West Bengal, as Principal Correspondent. I have been regularly covering vast area of northern parts of West Bengal, Sikkim and parts of Nepal and Bhutan.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On