Pijush Hazarika Writes To Forest Minister Patowary Over Morigaon Tusker Death

Assam water resources minister Pijush Hazarika wrote to forest minister Chandra Mohan Patowary over the recent death of an elephant on the railway tracks in Morigaon. Through a letter on Friday, Hazarika sought to bring several facts to Patowary's notice urging him to consider expanding the ambit of the government's Project Elephant to areas that have witnessed an increase in elephant activity recently.

Hazarika expressed "deep concern over the recent incident" on July 9 when a wild elephant was fatally hit by a train in Assam's Morigaon. He highlighted that two such incidents have taken place in the vicinity of the accident site in the recent past, an area that is not a known elephant corridor.

Recommending a study by the forest department into a possible shift in elephant occupancy recently, the water resources and public relations minister wrote, "My humble suggestion is that the Forest Department may be directed to undergo a study if the known occupancy locations of the elephant in the State are shifting."

"If so, further preventive measures may be taken to map out such corridor routes and work in tandem with relevant stakeholders such as Railways, NHAI, District Administration and State PWD to strengthen safety measures. This can include studying the need for implementing technological or Al based solutions to detect Elephant movement nears roads and railway tracks in Jagiroad," Hazarika further wrote.

Highlighting the importance of elephants in the ecosystem of the state, he said that the Assam government had announced during Gaj Utsav 2023 measures to implement Project Elephant. "If deemed fit, the ambit of such measures may be expanded to areas where Elephant activity has recently increased such as Jagiroad," wrote the cabinet minister.

"I am confident that under your leadership, we can work together to protect our precious wildlife and ensure a safe and peaceful coexistence between humans and animals in Assam," Hazarika further added.

Elephants are an integral part of Assam's ecosystem.

On the recent elephant death in railway track, I wrote to my fellow Cabinet Minister Shri @cmpatowary and requested him to launch a thorough enquiry in this regard. pic.twitter.com/Nx1flXego7

— Pijush Hazarika (@Pijush_hazarika) July 13, 2024

Also Read: Assam: Elephant Tusk Seized In Raid At Residence In Morigaon; One Held