OSAI

'Demonstration Against Railways Digging of Elephant-Proof Trench (Ept) in Kallar Corridor' on 10.06.2010 at Mettupalayam, Coimbatore.

The height of ignorance among railway authorities was felt as the news came about an elephant-proof trench dug to stop the elephants from crossing the railway track. Believe it, this was happening in the most crucial section of the Kallar-Jaccanari elephant corridor that facilitates elephant movement across wide landscapes in the Southern and Eastern Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Railway authorities decided that the elephants were a threat to the toy train running from Mettupalayam to Ooty and were causing havoc among the gang men who have to walk periodically along the rails for maintenance.

The railway track that runs from Kallar to Burliar passes through the forest corridor. Already the corridor is narrow and was disrupted due to many anthropogenic pressures. In the past decade many developments in the form of buildings and roads have hampered the movement of elephants along the corridor. This trench, if dug, will further disrupt the corridor and hamper the elephant migration across the landscape completely. The region has a history of human-elephant conflict and this incident will escalate the present scenario in all means. As always, farmers, laymen and innocent elephants will be the victims of the conflict.

The news of this incident spread when N.MohanRaj of WWF India alerted OSAI and other NGO's in the region. Jayachandran of TNGM went to the place along with forest officials for a quick inspection. Jayaprakash, Senthil Kumar, Mohanraj, Mohan Kumar, Sundar Kumar and Sevvilamparithi also scrutinize the region. The trench placed at least ten meters away from the track was around three meters deep and two meter in width at many places. The work progressed from Kallar railway station and was for a length of about seventy meters. The forest officials were prompt in taking decision, who quickly made an appeal to the railway authorities and seized the machinery involved in digging the trench. The railway authorities then took an alternate stance by saying that the trench was for streamlining the rainwater flow across railway tracks.

A group of committed environmentalists and naturalists from this region decided to make a protest to voice their concerns. The demonstration took place at Mettupalayam . Representatives from many organizations including TNGM, NWEA, WWF India, WTI and Bhavani River Protection Council joined with OSAI who organized the protest. The Indian Lawyers Association of Mettupalayam joined the protesters and strengthened their hand. Also, members of Merchant Association, representatives of political parties and students took part in the protest. The gathered group held banners and sign boards portraying the reality of the situation. Informative hand bills about the Kallar corridor and its significance were passed to the public. The protesters voiced against the plan to dug the trench and wanted the already excavated portion to be filled completely without delay.

When the issue was brought to notice, the higher officials in Railways understood the problem and took a decision to stop the work and closed the trench immediately. The demonstration was a clear success and a proof that any conservation effort will be a success if it becomes a peoples movement.