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As part of its relentless pursuit to mitigate human elephant conflict and facilitate coexistence, biodiversity conservation organization 'Aaranyak' has energized total 10.55 km community-managed solar fence in two different in two different areas near Raimona in Kokrajhar district of Assam on Tuesday.
The fence has been implemented in two phases under a project sponsored by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and in collaboration with the Forest Department and local community. One portion of the solar fence is around 4 km which covers six villages while the second part covers 11 villages inhabited by mostly indigenous Bodo tribe. The local community played an important role by contributing fence posts and labour during the installation of the two stretches of the solar powered fence that are meant to protect their crop and property. Daisa Daimary, Forest Official of the Central Range of Raimona National Park, and Binoy Basumatary, Chairman of the Village Conservation and Development Committee (VCDC), jointly inaugurated the fence at Araishopara village. The event was presided over by Chairman Basumatary, who also led the meeting. Subsequently the two stretches of solar fence were handed over to the local community and respective solar fence committees after signing of an MoU between Forest Department, Aaranyak and local community in presence of a tea from Aaranyak comprising Anjan Baruah, Swapan Das and Jibon Chetry. The headman of Araishopara village Pranjit Basumatary took lead in organizing the fence inauguration programme which was participated by about 50 persons from Araishopara and nearby villages including the headman of Takampur village Baman Singh Basumatary, headman of East Takampur village Ansumwi Basumatary and Rijoy Nurzery. It may be noted that the type of electricity called Direct Current (DC) that powers a solar fence meant for mitigation of Human elephant conflict (HEC), is not lethal. This DC current is produced by a solar-charged battery. (ANI)
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