PMK seeks removal encroachments from elephant corridors in Coimbatore

The Coimbatore unit of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has urged the district administration to remove resorts and other encroachments from elephant corridors to reduce human-elephant conflict.

In a petition submitted to the District Collector on Monday, district secretary Kovai Raj urged the State government to notify the Tamil Nadu Draft Elephant Corridor Plan, which identifies 42 elephant corridors across the State, including nine in Coimbatore district.

The PMK alleged that the rapid growth of resorts in Anaikatti, located in the ecologically sensitive foothills of the Western Ghats and the HACA region, had affected elephant habitats. It claimed that nearly 50 resorts were functioning in the area and that many of them had been established illegally within the elephant corridors.

Mr. Raj said encroachments and bottlenecks along elephant corridors had restricted elephant movement, leading to increased incursions into human habitations in search of food and water. As a result, he claimed that 232 wild elephants and more than 150 people had lost their lives in human-elephant conflict in the district over the past 15 years. Crop damage caused by elephants had also affected the livelihoods of many farmers, while elephant movement into urban areas had become more frequent. He also sought the removal of high-voltage electric fences in elephant corridors.

As an immediate measure, the PMK demanded the removal of resorts and illegal structures encroaching upon elephant corridors in Anaikatti and other foothill areas of the Western Ghats. It also reiterated its demand that the State government publish the elephant corridor draft plan in the Government Gazette to facilitate its implementation.