Naam Tamilar Party chief coordinator Seeman has urged the Tamil Nadu government to immediately withdraw the model report of the Kudalur elephant corridor project.
In his statement in this regard, the draft report of elephant route protection model issued by the Tamil Nadu government through the forest department in Kudalur, Nilgiri district is shocking.
The draft report issued with the sole purpose of evicting people without knowing the actual route of the elephants, without conducting consultation meetings, is strongly condemned and there is no alternative to ensure the safety of the elephants and protect their habitat.
But it is a shame that the Tamil Nadu Forest Department is trying to use the elephant route as a tool to evict the people of Kudalur without knowing the habitat and route (valasa) of the elephants.
Elephant tracking (walasai) is scientifically based on following elephants for some time, continuously observing their path and drawing it faithfully.
But why does the Tamil Nadu government not realize that it is against nature for the forest department to draw lines, declare them as elephant tracks, and allow elephants to walk on them? According to the draft of the new elephant route model released by the government, approximately 37,856 houses in 46 villages of Kudalur block are fully affected.
When the lay people could not understand the model draft report which was entirely in English, why was it given only a short time (29-4-2024 to 07-05-2024 only) to give comments through e-mail instead of conducting direct hearings on the draft report? The intention of the government is clear from this.
Creating an illusion that their habitats obstruct the passage of elephants with the intention of depriving the tea plantation workers of their livelihood and the land rights of the people who have been living in the Kudalur areas since ages is gross.
The DMK government, which is incapable of taking any action against tourist hotels, private luxury houses and commercial establishments, which are real obstacles to elephants’ routes, is targeting and removing the residences of the people of Cuddalore.
As mentioned in the report of the forest department, the number of human deaths due to elephant attacks has increased only after 2008. According to this, it is clear that there is no interruption to the elephant route either by the tea plantations or the residences of the tea workers that have been running for centuries.
With this, it is confirmed that the newly released model report on the elephant route plan is a continuation of the maneuvers of the ruling governments to evict the people of Gudalur in the name of forest laws.
Therefore, on behalf of the Tamil Nadu party, I urge the Government of Tamil Nadu to immediately withdraw the currently published Kudalur Elephant Route Project Report, and to study the elephant routes on scientific basis with the help of experts, conduct a direct consultation meeting with the people of Kudalur area, and thereby identify the real elephant routes and prepare and publish a new project report. mentioned.
