Amaravati, Aug 16 — Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Forest and Environment, Pawan Kalyan, on Sunday directed Forest Department officials to use drones to monitor the movement of a herd of elephants roaming near Erravaripalem, close to Chandragiri in Tirupati district.
He asked the department to alert and reassure the public and continuously monitor the elephants' movements. He told officials to identify their paths using drones and keep residents of nearby villages updated.
Pawan Kalyan held a teleconference with Forest Department officials regarding reports that elephants from the Seshachalam forest area were roaming in two herds and destroying crops in fields along the forest fringes during the night. He directed the Forest, Revenue, and Police departments to work in coordination to minimise loss of life and property.
Pawan Kalyan suggested arranging special night patrols in villages adjacent to the forest. He emphasised the need to raise awareness among the public in vulnerable areas to prevent them from visiting their fields at night and to implement necessary safety measures.
Instructions were issued to take proactive measures to prevent loss of life and property caused by elephants. It was directed that warnings be disseminated in villages using loudspeakers, mobile messages, and local information systems.
Officials must continuously monitor the situation and deploy 'HANUMAN' teams wherever necessary to ensure public safety, while also ensuring that field-level staff remain vigilant around the clock, he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister appealed to the public to stay alert and strictly adhere to the guidelines issued by Forest Department officials. He stated that immediate compensation would be paid through the Forest Department as soon as officials prepare reports on the crop damage.
Pawan Kalyan had said on August 13 that deployment of 'Kumki' elephants to check wild elephants creating havoc has resulted in a 70 per cent reduction in human fatalities in forest fringe areas in the state
Addressing national-level World Elephant Day celebrations, he said the elephant-human conflict management also led to a decrease in crop damage.
He noted that, with the assistance of the Karnataka government, four ‘Kumki’ elephants were brought and specially trained to help prevent human-wildlife conflicts, adding that these measures are yielding positive results in the agency areas.