CB team visits jumbos’ death spot

DHENKANAL: A four-member team of the State Crime Branch, led by SP Sandip Matkar and comprising a DSP and two ASIs, visited the spot on Sunday where seven elephants were electrocuted.

The team held discussions with Forest department and police officials and also villagers to look into lapses which led to the deaths of the jumbos at a paddy field. DFO Sudarshan Patra told ‘Express’ that he has lodged complaints against four Talcher CESU unit executive engineers, a junior engineer, an assistant engineer and a line man at Kantabania police station. Patra said a complaint may be filed soon against a railway contractor. Three forest officials, including range officer, forester and forest guard were placed under suspension on Sunday for dereliction of duty, he added.

Former Rajya Sabha member Rudra Narayan Pany also filed complaint against the Forest and Environment and the Energy ministers, the PCCF and two secretaries at Kantabania police station and sought registration of FIR in this connection.

On the other hand, Dhenkanal Superintending Engineer (Electrical) Naresh Chandra Patnaik said project proposals after due survey were sent to the authorities concerned to remove sagging live wires in the elephant and non-elephant corridors across the district. The incident took place at Kamalanga village that comes under non-elephant corridor. Patnaik said the State Government has already allocated funds to the CESU administration to remove live sagging lines in elephant corridors while funds are yet to be released for the purpose in non-elephant corridors.

Angul RCCF and Additional PCCF Sudarshan Panda had said on Saturday that the live wire was just 5 feet high and held CESU and Forest Department officials responsible for the incident.
As many as 74 elephants have been killed in the district in the last five years of which 17 were electrocuted. Attacks by elephants claimed the lives of 92 people in the district in the last five years.