Lok Sabha Question No. 5608 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-26
Subject: Construction of Yoga Centre along Elephant Corridor
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Dayanidhi Maran

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5608

TO BE ANSWERED ON 26.07.2019

## Construction of Yoga Centre along Elephant Corridor

## 5608.  SHRI DAYANIDHI MARAN:

Will  the  Minister  of  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND  CLIMATE  CHANGE  be  pleased  to state:

- (a) whether the  Ministry has  granted permission for construction of a  yoga centre along the Elephant corridor in the Thondamuthur forest reserve in Coimbatore district specifically in the Vellaingiri foot hills area;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and its likely impact on the forest area and the wildlife;
- (c) whether there has been increase in incidents of Man-Animal Conflict in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and surrounding forest area; and
- (d) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  corrective  measures  taken  by  the  Government  in  this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

- (a) No sir.
- (b) Does not arise.
- (c) No  sir.    However,  there  are  reports  of  some  incidences  of  Man-Animal  Conflict  in Mudumalai  Tiger  Reserve  and  surrounding  forest  areas  and  the  details  of  corrective measures taken by the Government in this regard are given below:
- i. Financial  and  technical  assistance  is  provided  to  elephant  range  states  under  the Centrally Sponsored Schemes 'Project Elephant', to protect elephants, their habitat and  corridors,  to  address  issues  of  man-elephant  conflict  and  welfare  of  captive elephants.  In addition financial assistance is provided to the State/Union Territory Governments under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes of 'Integrated Development of  Wildlife Habitats' and Project Tiger, for providing better protection to wildlife including leopards and improvement of habitat.
- ii. Construction/erecting of physical barriers, such as barbed wire fence, solar powered electric fence, bio-fencing using cactus, bee-hive fencing, elephant proof trenches, boundary wall etc. to prevent entry of wild animals into crop field.
- iii. All  the  elephant  states  have  been  directed  to  implement  the  Guidelines  for Management of Human Elephant Conflict issued by the Ministry on 6.10.2017.
- iv. The  Ministry  has  issued  guidelines  in  context  of  human-wildlife  conflict  to  the Chief Wildlife Wardens of all the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations dated 24 th December, 2014 and 1 st June, 2015.
- v. Works  like creation of water sources, plantation of fruiting trees, pasture development,  fire  protection  etc.  are  being  done  to  enrich  elephant  habitat.    The Ministry is implementing a scheme from the Compensatory Afforestation Funds to Augment  Fodder  and  water  in  Protected  Areas  for  increasing  the  availability  of forage  and  water  for  herbivores  within  Protected  areas  so  that  animal  can  be retained within their habitats.
- vi. Regular  and  extensive  patrolling  of  elephant  areas  by  frontline  filed  staff  of  the State Forest Departments is done so that elephants can be retained in their habitat.
- vii. To  reduce  man-elephant  conflict  and  to  avoid  retaliatory  killing  of  elephants, compensation is provided to local communities for loss of their property and life caused by wild elephants.
- viii. Forest  Department is engaging local communities as animal trackers to  know the movement  of  elephants  and  also  to  caution  local  people  to  avoid  man-animal conflict and to prevent the elephant to their natural habitat.
- ix. Wildlife Institute of India in consultation with the Ministry of Environment Forest &  Climate  Change,  National  Highway  Authority,  National  Tiger  Conservation Authority and World Bank Group has published a document namely ' Eco-friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts of Linear Infrastructure' to assist the project agencies of linear infrastructure in designing the linear infrastructure in a manner which will reduce  human-animal  conflicts  in  the  areas  where  these  linear  infrastructures  are passing through Protected Areas and other wildlife areas.

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