Bangalore: Responding to the demand by legislators to build walls for protecting villagers and sugarcane and other crops from elephants in Mysore, Chikmagalur and other districts, which had elephant population, Minister for Forests C. Chennigappa on Wednesday said that walls on different stretches at a cost of Rs. 120 crore would be built next year.

Speaking to presspersons, the Minister said that G.T. Deve Gowda, C.T. Ravi and Venkatesh, MLAs, had informed of the difficulties faced by the farmers when the herds of elephants enter their fields and destroy crop and sometime even kill people. Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa had agreed to release funds for the purpose in the budget, he said.

Some years ago, the Department had built a five-km wall in Heggadadevana Kote in Mysore district, he said. The farmers in Hunsur and Arsikere were also facing the problem and there was a need to build wall for a distance of 320 km in the forests. It would be six feet high and two feet thick.

Asked what happened to the idea of solar fencing, the Minister said that the elephants were able to destroy it on many stretches. Digging trenches also proved ineffective and as the elephants develop slope on either side and cross over to the human habitation and fields.

Mr. Chennigappa said that the Department had taken up erecting 120 km barbed wire fencing in the forests bordering Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to prevent entry of people, who indulged in smuggling of forest produce such as sandalwood. Admitting that disputes existed between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu about certain pockets of forests near Hogenkal Falls, the Minister said that his Department had been able to get back forest land on a stretch of nine km near Punajanur.

Mr. Chennigappa said that the entire border with Tamil Nadu would be fenced. In some areas, a survey by the two States and the Union Government was going on to solve the border dispute.

Tiger reserve

The Minister said the notification for developing the Dandeli Tiger Reservehad been issued and it would inaugurated next month. This is the third tiger reserve in the State.

Under the Rs. 200-crore social forestry programme, the Department had taken up planting saplings. In addition to that, the Department was getting a loan of Rs. 120-crore from a Japanese bank for the purpose. He warned the officials for embezzlement of funds earmarked for social forestry.

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