In Ganesh season, the murder of seven elephants in Odisha

An electric wire ran across a forest. It hung at a height of about 8 feet.Two nights ago, it electrocuted seven elephants in Dhenkanal district of Odisha.

The wire should have been at least 20 feet above the ground. It wasn’t that, no one knew.

The Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO) had identified and advocated correcting this error in several spots.

What’s so hard about raising the height of an electric wire? Nothing, except that it hadn’t been done. I won’t call this an accident. Rules exist about both the height of the wires and protecting elephants.

The forest departments in some states struggle to get it right, but they are not authorised to handle what is a complex issue, both technically and in terms of jurisdiction. Some believe that electrocution is now a bigger threat to elephants than even poaching. So every time an elephant is electrocuted, it is an act of wilful murder.

As I write this, no one stands suspended. Someone should be, at high levels, in the state electricity board.

Indeed, the ministry of environment, forests and climate change must be given the upper hand to charge the relevant department with the murder of its wards if an elephant is thus killed.

In a season where we especially worship Ganesha, at least let’s start the trend for a few high heads to roll when a Pachyderm is tossed off the planet. If not, why show hypocrisy and worship Ganesha while letting elephants die?

THE FOREST

DEPARTMENTS IN SOME STATES STRUGGLE TO GET IT RIGHT, BUT THEY ARE NOT AUTHORISED TO HANDLE WHAT IS A COMPLEX ISSUE, BOTH TECHNICALLY AND IN TERMS OF JURISDICTION