Ivory stock to be moved to high-security treasure chest
The Hindu
Around 200 kg of sandal oil will also be moved to the treasure chest
Ivory weighing over 10 tonne in possession of the Kerala Forest Department will be shifted to a high-security centre shortly.
Besides ivory, around 200 kg of sandal oil, seized by the department officials from the illicit sandal oil distilling units earlier, will also be moved to the treasure chest that has come up on the campus of the State Forest Head Quarters.
The State Board for Wildlife had declined permission twice to destroy the ivory stock in Kerala, forcing the department to set up the new facility. A proposal to set up an ivory museum too failed to find favour with the authorities. Incidentally, the Forest department in some other States including Assam had destroyed the Rhino and elephant ivory in its possession recently.
The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.