Trenches being dug along 16-km stretch to prevent elephants

, Oct 30: In a bid to check recurring forays by wild

into human habitats, digging of trenches along a 16-km stretch has been taken up at a cost of Rs 40 lakh in the district.

District Collector Archana Patnaik today reviewed the progress of the work on digging trenches on the stretch from Maruthamalai to Boluvampatti, taken up to prevent the entry of elephants from nearby forests. She also inspected villages in and around Thondamuthur on the city outskirts where the wild elephants had been playing havoc for the past one fortnight, killing a woman, and damaging property, official sources said.

The digging works had been put on hold in Kuppepalayam village, which bore the brunt of elephant menace, as large rocks were found in between. Permission to blast them had been sought as the locality came under Reserved Forest Area, they said. The elephants entered through this particular area, the collector was informed.

Archana, during her review, heard the grievances from the affected public and assured to take remedial steps to redress their problem as soon as possible. The Collector's visit comes days after people staged a protest and submitted a memoraundm seeking protection.

PTI