An elephant sanctuary and better tourism facilities in the Garo Hills of Sherpur will be pursued to resolve human-elephant conflict and stop illegal occupation of forest land, environment, forest and climate change minister Abdul Awal Mintoo said, Krishi Sangbad reports. He spoke on Saturday (10 October) at a meeting with Elephant Response Teams (ERTs), journalists and volunteers at Madhutila Eco Park in Nalitabari.
A meeting has been proposed under the India-Bangladesh memorandum of understanding on creating six corridors for elephants to cross the border, and is expected within three to four months, the minister said. Steps towards a Garo Hills sanctuary will be taken after discussions with the prime minister and the Forest Department.
He then handed cheques worth Tk 1.665 million (16 lakh 65 thousand) in compensation to people killed, injured or harmed in elephant attacks, and distributed equipment for driving elephants away, including jog-lights, to 32 Elephant Response Teams. Earlier he inspected an elephant corridor in the Garo Hills, and later gave compensation cheques at another meeting in Jhenaigati.
The meeting, chaired by deputy commissioner Farida Yasmin, was also addressed by chief conservator of forests Md Amir Hosain Chowdhury, police superintendent AKM Zahirul Islam, Dhaka region wildlife and nature conservation forest conservator Md Sanaulla Patwari, Mymensingh divisional forest officer Kazi Muhammad Nurul Karim and ERT member Lawrence Drong.
The report is by Krishi Sangbad's correspondent in Sherpur.
Photo: AKM Emdadul Islam Bitu / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0); an Asian elephant in Kaptai National Park
Source: Krishi Sangbad
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