Mayurbhanj district activists detains two tuskers to protest against their relocation

If the Government and NTCA fail to revoke the decision, the Congress will call Mayurbhanj bandh soon, said District Congress Committee (DCC) president Hemanta Kumar Das. 
Trained tuskers of Similipal National Park Mahendra and Rajkumar at Phulbandh Chowk
Trained tuskers of Similipal National Park Mahendra and Rajkumar at Phulbandh Chowk

BARIPADA:  Activists of Mayurbhanj district unit of Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) detained two trained tuskers who were on their way to Satkosia Tiger Reserve at Phulbandh Chowk, around 27 km from Jashipur, in protest against the relocation of the jumbos on Tuesday. The agitators also staged a road blockade at Murgabadi Golei, thereby bringing traffic on National Highway-18 to a standstill for around one and a half hours. 

Flaying the State Government and National Tiger Conservation Authority for taking the decision to deploy trained tuskers of Similipal National Park Mahendra and Rajkumar at Satkosia, the protestors said the pachyderms are a property of the district. “The tuskers should be used for protection of Similipal, not Satkosia. If the Government wants to track the movement of tigers in Satkosia, it should bring trained elephants from other reserve forests,” said District Congress Committee (DCC) president Hemanta Kumar Das. 

If the Government and NTCA fail to revoke the decision, the Congress will call Mayurbhanj bandh soon, Das added. Mahendra was brought from Karnataka and has been engaged in the protection of Similipal Tiger Reserve by the Forest Department since 2001, sources said. JMM leader Kalinga Keshari Jena said Mahendra has already reached 52 years of age and will soon retire. It will be better to give him rest. Rajkumar is a sub-adult elephant and is unable to monitor and keep track of the tigers which are being translocated from Madhya Pradesh to Satkosia, he said.

“Age of the jumbos is a major concern. The terrain, vegetation and climatic condition at Satkosia forest will not be conducive to the old and feeble Mahendra as well as Rajkumar who is a sub-adult,” said Rakesh Singh, an activist. On June 24, the Forest department had sent vehicles to shift the two elephants to Satkosia. However, the tuskers became reluctant to get on to the huge lorries.

Later on the day, the blockade was lifted after Sub-Collector Abdal Muhammad Akhtar reached the spot and assured the protestors to postpone the relocation plan of the tuskers. A decision in this regard will be taken after holding a meeting with the agitators and authorities of Similipal Tiger Reserve, said sources.
However, the agitators continued to detain the two tuskers at Phulbandh Chowk till reports last came in. The DCC also submitted a memorandum to the Baripada Sub-Collector demanding an immediate end to the relocation drive of the elephants.

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