Elephant electrocuted, 'negligence' of ASEB flayed

our Correspondent

DIGBOI, Dec 5: A bull elephant around nine-foot tall was electrocuted on Saturday morning at Panbari area under Kherjan range of Digboi division.

The elephant was found lying dead along its usual migratory route besides high voltage electric wires running at just nine-foot height, which in fact ought to be at the minimum height of 20 feet.

However,   members of two active local NGOs - Green Bud Society and Evergreen Foundation - reached the spot and assisted the department concerned regarding legal and other necessary formalities, also pacifying the crowd which had gathered after the tragic incident.

Meanwhile, Triyan Gogoi of Green Bud Society, Bijay Gogoi of Evergreen Foundation and Professor Gauri Buragohain of Digboi College claimed that these types of incidents occur every year and ironically, the power department has been indifferent about this. According to them, this was the result of ‘gross negligence’ of the ASEB which, despite many such incidents of elephants being electrocuted, has so far done nothing in this regard.

Local people said that the poor elephant might have emerged from the Bogapani reserve forest through the elephant corridor to graze in the paddy field.