Engineers booked after elephants electrocuted in Orissa
Bhubaneswar,
Aug 3 (IANS) Three engineers of a private power distribution company in
Orissa have been booked for the deaths of three elephants by
electrocution in Keonjhar district, an official said Tuesday.
The
engineers of the North Eastern Electricity Supply Company of Orissa Ltd
(NESCO) were booked under various sections of the Wildlife Protection
Act, Divisional Forest Officer Sarat Chandra Mohanty told IANS.
Three
elephants - two males and a female - were found dead early Sunday near
Durlabhapur village under Telkoi forest division, about 210 km from
Bhubaneswar. They died after allegedly coming in contact with a
high-tension overhead wire.
“Power lines in forest areas are
supposed to be at a specific height above the ground. The rules were
not followed strictly by the power distribution company,” Mohanty said.
He
said the district authorities have formed a team, comprising forest and
power officials, to examine the status of high tension electrical lines
in various places of the district.
According to the 2010 Census, there are 1,886 elephants in the state.
Biswajit
Mohanty, the secretary of the Wild Life Society of Orissa, said as many
as 150 elephants have died of electrocution during the last 10 years.
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