Bengaluru: The State Government on Monday November 21 has decided to form an elephant task force in four districts to control the jumbo menace.
An official statement stated that an order to this effect was issued soon after the meeting, which was headed by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
According to the statement, the task force, led by the Deputy Conservator of forests, will be formed in the districts of Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Mysuru, and Kodagu, where the issue is more common.
The task force will begin to work right away and follow the instructions of the concerned Chief Conservator of Forests of the circles.
The panel members have been instructed to patrol the jumbo-concentrated areas, keep an eye on their movements through human habitation, agricultural fields, and coffee estates, and drive them back into forests under the direction of the deputy conservator of forests.
Walkie-talkies, firearms, and crackers will be used by the task force members to drive wild elephants back into the forest. Three jeeps will be provided to each district’s elephant task force.
They must inform people about the whereabouts of wild elephants and warn them not to enter forest areas.
It has been also decided to set up a control room in each task force’s headquarters and to make the phone number available to the public.
