Lok Sabha Question No. 4 (STARRED), answered on 2022-07-18
Subject: Attack of Wild Elephants
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Kumbakudi Sudhakaran

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

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION No. *4

TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.07.2022

## Attack of Wild Elephants

## *4. SHRI KUMBAKUDI SUDHAKARAN:

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

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  taken  note  of  the  attack  of  wild  elephants  on  human habitations in Kerala, particularly in areas of Kottiyoor in Kannur;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  number  of  lives  lost  in  the  attack  of  wild  elephants  on human  habitations  in  the  country  during  the  last  three  years  and  the  current  year, State/year-wise;
- (c) the details of fund allocation and utilization by the Union Government for compensating persons affected by wild-elephant attack; and
- (d) the steps taken by the Government to tackle the issue in the country particularly in Kerala?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BHUPENDER YADAV)

- (a) to (d) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

****

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) to (d) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *4 REGARDING 'ATTACK OF WILD ELEPHANTS' DUE FOR REPLY ON 18.07.2022

- (a)&(b) As per the information received from State of Kerala, five human lives has been lost in  wild  elephant  attack  on  human  habitations  during  the  last  three  years  under  the jurisdiction of Kannur Forest Division. The State-wise details of human deaths due to wild elephant attack, as per the information received from States, during the last three years is enclosed as Annexure -I.
- (c) The  State-wise  details  of  fund  released  for  compensating  person  affected  by  wild elephants  under  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  -  Project  Elephant  (CSS-PE)  are enclosed as Annexure- II.
- (d) The  management  of  wildlife  including  mitigation  and  management  of  humanelephant  conflict  (HEC)  is  primarily  the  responsibility  of  State  Governments/UT Administrations.  The Government of Kerala has taken following steps to tackle the issue under the jurisdiction of Kannur Forest Division.
- (i) Construction of 10.25  km Elephant Proof wall from Valaymchal to Kariyamkapu, Kotiyoor Range.
- (ii) Establishment of solar fencing for 38.36 km in Thaliparamba Range, 69.5 km in Kottiyoor Range and 3.00 km in Kannavam Range.
- (iii) Construction of 3 km elephant proof trench from Vietnam Colony to Nilayi.
- (iv) Establishment  of  11.5  Km  hanging  fencing  in  the  forest  boundary  of Payyavoor Grama Panchayath.

In addition, the following measures taken by the Ministry also help in mitigation of human elephant conflict in the country:-

- (i) The Ministry provides financial and technical assistance to States/UTs under the  Centrally  Sponsored  Schemes  'Project  Elephant'  for  protection  and conservation of elephants and their habitats in the country.
- (ii) 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. The Ministry has notified enhancement of exgratia  rates  related  to  wildlife  depredation  vide  letter  No.  14-2/2011  WL-I (part) dated 9th February, 2018.
- (iii) Various  other  Centrally  Sponsored  schemes  being  implemented  by  this Ministry contribute to the improvement in the natural habitat of elephants by augmenting water sources, planting of fodder trees, regeneration of bamboo etc.    Such  schemes  include  Development  of  Wildlife  Habitat  and  Project Tiger.  The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act 2016 and the Rules made there  under  also  provide  for  use  of  the  Fund  for  development  of  wildlife habitats, including for elephants, establishment of animal rescue centres, etc.

which also contribute to reduction in HEC.

- (iv) A guideline for Management of Human Elephant Conflict has been issued by the Ministry on 6.10.2017 and elephant range states have been requested for implementation of the same.
- (v) A field  manual  for  frontline  staff  to  manage  Human  Elephant  Conflict  was released  during  the  16 th meeting  of  the  Steering  Committee  on  29th  April, 2022.
- (vi) Critical  elephant  habitats  are  notified  as  'Elephant  Reserve'  for  focus  and synergy  in  elephant  conservation  and  to  reduce  conflict.  The  notification  is carried out with the approval of Steering Committee formed in the Ministry. So  far  31  Elephant  Reserves  have  been  established  in  14  major  elephant States.

***

ANNEXURE-I

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (b)  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA STARRED  QUESTION  NO.  4  RAISED  BY  SHRI  KUMBAKUDI  SUDHAKARAN REGARDING 'ATTACK OF WILD ELEPHANTS' DUE FOR REPLY ON 18.07.2022.

Human Deaths due to elephant attack during the last three years

| S.No.   | State               | 2019-20 2020-21   | 2021-22           |
|---------|---------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
| 1       | 4                   | 6                 | Andhra Pradesh NR |
| 2       | Arunachal Pradesh 0 | 0                 | 1                 |
| 3       | Assam               | 91                | 75 63             |
| 4       | Chhattisgarh 77     | 42                | 64                |
| 5       | Jharkhand 84        | 74                | 133               |
| 6       | Karnataka 29        | 23                | 17                |
| 7       | Kerala 12           | 20                | 25                |
| 8       | Maharashtra 1       | NR                | 0                 |
| 9       | Meghalaya 4         | 6                 | 2                 |
| 10      | Nagaland 0          | 0                 | 0                 |
| 11      | Odisha 117          | 93                | 112               |
| 12      | Tamil Nadu 58       | 57                | 37                |
| 13      | Tripura 2           | 1                 | 2                 |
| 14      | Uttar Pradesh 6     | 1                 | 0                 |
| 15      | Uttarakhand NR      | NR                | NR                |
| 16      | West Bengal         | 47                | 116 77            |
| Total   |                     | 585 461           | 532               |

*NR- Information not received from States.

ANNEXURE-II

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (c)  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA STARRED  QUESTION  NO.  4  RAISED  BY  SHRI  KUMBAKUDI  SUDHAKARAN REGARDING 'ATTACK OF WILD ELEPHANTS' DUE FOR REPLY ON 18.07.2022.

State-wise details of Compensation paid to the persons affected by wild elephant during the last three years under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme 'Project Elephant' (Rs. in lakhs)

|   Sl. No. | State             |   2019-20 | 2020-21   | 2021-22   |
|-----------|-------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
|         1 | Andhra Pradesh    |        70 | 61.60     | 27.63     |
|         2 | Arunachal Pradesh |        15 | 125.00    | 20.00     |
|         3 | Kerala            |       150 | 157.00    | 210.00    |
|         4 | Maharashtra       |        20 | 35.00     | 0.00*     |
|         5 | Meghalaya         |        15 | 0.00*     | 124.20    |
|         6 | Nagaland          |       103 | 60.00     | 80.00     |
|         7 | Odisha            |       160 | 375.00    | 400.00    |
|         8 | Tamil Nadu        |        91 | 0.00*     | 100.00    |
|         9 | Tripura           |        10 | 15.00     | 0.00*     |
|        10 | Uttar Pradesh     |         5 | 0.00*     | 0.00*     |
|        11 | West Bengal       |        50 | 38.61     | 0.00*     |

* No requisition regarding compensation was made by the State in the APO.