Electric fence to keep animals off farms near Sariska reserve
Farmers living close to the Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR) can now hope to enjoy a good night’s sleep.
The forest department is fencing farmland in few villages situated on the periphery of the reserve to ward off wild animals from straying into the premises.
The pilot project is underway in Prithvipura, Kalyanpura, Sabalpura, Kala Laka and Rampura villages. On Sunday, STR field director RS Shekhawat switched on the supply of electric current in fences around three farmlands in Prithvipura village, 30km from Alwar city, to inaugurate the scheme.
Shekhawat said, “The department got ₹10 lakh for the scheme. 60% of this cost is borne by the Centre and the remaining, by the state.” So far, 43 hectares of farmland in five villages have either been fenced or are in the process of fencing.
Under the scheme, a farmer would bear the cost of erecting cement poles around his farm – which generally costs ₹5,000 a hectare – and the forest department would provide equipment to run current through the fence.
“This current is not fatal and will only give a shock to wild animals when they come in contact with the fence,” Shekhawat said.
“The scheme has been launched to prevent man-animal conflict ...” he added.
Farmers and STR administration were often at loggerheads over entry of wild animals.
Babu Lal Yadav, whose farm has been fenced, said, “Wild animals damaged up to 50% of my crops and I had to stay awake even in winters to guard them.”
Maintenance will be carried out by eco development committees (EDC). “We will collect ₹400 for every hectare every year for maintenance,” said Mahesh Naruka, chairman of Prithvipura EDC.