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Congress MP Karti Chidambaram wrote a letter to the Tamil Nadu Environment and Climate Change Minister Thiru Meyyanathan on Wednesday regarding the recent elephant deaths in the state.
In the letter, the Congress MP highlighted the deaths of four elephants due to electrocution in the first three months of this year. Chidambaram wrote, "I would like to bring to your urgent attention that in the first three months of this year alone four elephants have been killed by electrocution. In one incident, three adult female elephants were electrocuted by an illegal electric farm fence in Dharmapuri. In a separate incident, a male elephant was attempting to cross an embankment and it encountered a low-lying high-tension wire of TANGEDCO and died." Sharing the data from the ministry, Chidambaram stated that a total of 474 elephants were electrocuted in India between 2014 and 2020 out of which 68 cases of fatal elephant electrocutions have been reported in Tamil Nadu during this period. Further questioning, Chidambaram wrote, "How can such illegal electric fences be erected? What protocol does TANGEDCO follow to place power and transmission lines around elephant reserves corridors? Why are these electric wires low-hanging? As wildlife habitats keep sinking. Elephants are bound to come into contact with the dangers of urbanisation. The situation only gets worse when the government and its agencies fail to take decisive steps." Chidambaram also asked the government to share the details of funds allocated and utilised under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme - "Project Elephant" from financial year 2015 to present. He also urged the government to take requisite steps as the "Oscar-winning Indian documentary - "The Elephant Whisperers" has received global recognition for its portrayal of love, cooperation and co-existence between man and animal." (ANI)
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