Do not stop vehicles inside two tiger reserves on NH-948: Forest Department tells sugarcane-laden lorry drivers

The forest stretch falls inside Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu and Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve in Karnataka

With incidents of wild elephants intercepting sugarcane-laden lorries and feeding on it continues on the forest stretch of Dindigul-Mysuru National Highway 948, the Forest Department has asked the lorry drivers to not stop their vehicles in Talavadi forest stretch or feed the wild elephants.

Sugarcane harvested in Talavadi areas are transported in lorries to the private sugar mill located at Alathukombai in Sathyamangalam taluk. Harvesting season has commenced in the last three weeks and on an average 10 lorries transport sugarcane from Talavadi to the mill every day. From Talavadi, these vehicles have to take the National Highway and cross the Punajanur forest check post in Karnataka and enter Tamil Nadu at Karapallam check post and proceed on the Highway to reach Dhimbam and Bannari.

Elephants frequently cross the Highway on the 4KM stretch from Punajanur to near Karapallam check post that comes under Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve (BRT) in Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka and on the 6KM stretch from Karapallam check post to Hasanur that comes under Hasanur Forest Range of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR).

Four incidents of elephants intercepting lorries and dragging sugarcane and consuming it on the Highway was reported in the Punajanur-Karapallam check post stretch from 3.30 p. m. to 4 p. m. in the last few weeks. This resulted in disruption of vehicle movement on the Highway while many road users take selfies and photographs of wild elephants consuming sugarcane without realising the danger.

Devendra Kumar Meena, District Forest Officer, Hasanur Division and Deputy Director, STR, told  The Hindu that the Department was coordinating with the BRT officials for necessary action while they have also deputed teams to patrol the stretch. “The management of the sugar mill was asked to alert lorry drivers to not stop the vehicles on the entire stretch and also to not feed animals intentionally”, he said and added that lorries were asked to move in different timings so that elephants stop waiting along the road at a particular time.