Coimbatore South MLA Vanathi Srinivasan emphasized on May 21, 2024, the importance of Tamil Nadu government adopting the Central Government's announced elephant corridors to protect local environment and wildlife.
Coimbatore: Coimbatore South MLA Vanathi Srinivasan stressed today that the Tamil Nadu government should adopt the elephant corridors identified by the Central Government. Pointing out the critical environmental issues, she remarked that direct feedback from residents is crucial.
In the modern world, environmental degradation is a major issue, leading to climate change, causing varied natural disasters like heavy rains and extreme heat, resulting in droughts and floods across the country. To protect the environment, it is imperative to conserve forests and the wildlife residing there, including elephants. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the current BJP government has taken several measures to protect wildlife, which have shown positive results. Over the past decade, the numbers of elephants and tigers, along with forest cover, have seen significant increases.
As part of environmental conservation, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has identified 20 elephant corridors in Tamil Nadu. However, a state-appointed committee has found 42 corridors, highlighting a disconnect in following the Central Government’s guidelines on environmental conservation. If a region is declared an elephant corridor, it becomes a protected zone where no other activities can be carried out, which significantly affects the local residents’ lives.
In areas identified as corridors by the Tamil Nadu government, not only highways but also tea plantations, residential areas, and agricultural lands, particularly in Nilgiris, where 46 villages in Koodalur are affected, undergo severe impacts. Similarly, several hill and slope villages in Erode district are included.
Protecting elephant corridors and migratory paths is a duty for everyone, and it has never been opposed by the people. However, the DMK government must immediately abandon actions that strip land from indigenous and other local communities. Direct consultations with people, rather than online feedback, should be conducted to respect the sentiments of the residents.
In the modern world, environmental degradation is a major issue, leading to climate change, causing varied natural disasters like heavy rains and extreme heat, resulting in droughts and floods across the country. To protect the environment, it is imperative to conserve forests and the wildlife residing there, including elephants. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the current BJP government has taken several measures to protect wildlife, which have shown positive results. Over the past decade, the numbers of elephants and tigers, along with forest cover, have seen significant increases.
As part of environmental conservation, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has identified 20 elephant corridors in Tamil Nadu. However, a state-appointed committee has found 42 corridors, highlighting a disconnect in following the Central Government’s guidelines on environmental conservation. If a region is declared an elephant corridor, it becomes a protected zone where no other activities can be carried out, which significantly affects the local residents’ lives.
In areas identified as corridors by the Tamil Nadu government, not only highways but also tea plantations, residential areas, and agricultural lands, particularly in Nilgiris, where 46 villages in Koodalur are affected, undergo severe impacts. Similarly, several hill and slope villages in Erode district are included.
Protecting elephant corridors and migratory paths is a duty for everyone, and it has never been opposed by the people. However, the DMK government must immediately abandon actions that strip land from indigenous and other local communities. Direct consultations with people, rather than online feedback, should be conducted to respect the sentiments of the residents.