Helpless farmers, hapless elephants!

Both environmentalists and government authorities confirm that there are at least 24 institutions that have come up in the foothills of the western ghats in Coimbatore district  - encroaching on traditional migratory paths of wild elephants.

All educational institutions have been built on land that has patta. And elephants wandering on the nearby hillside is a common sight.

Activists are planning to write to the concerned boards of education asking them to de-recognise the institutions for violating rules.

Committees headed by Madhav Gadgil and K Kasturirangan had warned against the misuse of elephant corridors for non-forest purposes.

A narrow corridor connects Sathyamangalam forest with the silent valley in Kerala.
This is a traditional migratory path for elephants.

Human -wildlife conflicts have become more acute in this region in the last 15 years.

Tales of gruesome deaths of helpless farmers and hapless elephants are becoming normal stories.

Nearly 100 people have died in elephant attacks here, in last 15 years.

However, religious and political bodies still violate rules, to reap huge profits at minimal investment.

Ironically, violators like Jaggi Vasudev pose as environmentalists and distribute lakhs of tree saplings on World Environment Day.

People shake and dole heady cocktails of spirituality, secularism laced with environmental advocacy, that can divert public attention, from the real dangers they themselves pose, to the western ghats.

- Nisha Ponthathil / Tehelka / 27 June 2015.