The High Range Circle of the Forest department has received administrative sanction for implementing a project, ‘Construction of physical barriers to mitigate the man-animal conflict issue in Idukki, Kottayam, and Ernakulam districts under the High Range Circle’.
According to officials, the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has allocated ₹14.94 crore for the project.
High Range Circle Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) Arun R.S. said that the Forest department had submitted a man-animal conflict mitigation project to Nabard to address the issues in five forest divisions under the circle. “Nabard approved the project and government issued administrative sanction recently. Under the project, 116-km hanging solar fencing will be constructed in Idukki, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts and 14.3-km of elephant-proof trench will be dug in Ernakulam and Kottayam districts,” said Mr. Arun.
