MADURAI
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Wildlife Warden of Meghamalai Wildlife Sanctuary in Theni district to file a status report on action initiated to address elephant deaths in the forest range.
A Division Bench of Justices K. K. Sasidharan and P. D. Audikesavalu summoned Forest department and TANGEDCO officials to appear before the court on Thursday. The court initiated suo motu proceedings after taking cognisance of news reports on elephant deaths at Venniyar Reserve Forest.
The reports had said at least five elephants were electrocuted in the same spot at Venniyar Reserve Forest near Cumbum Range in the past few months. They pointed to the low-lying high tension wires as reason for the deaths.
Earlier, the High Court Bench, hearing a similar petition, which sought a direction to the Forest authorities and TANGEDCO to raise the height of electricity lines within the forest range, had directed the authorities concerned to convene a meeting to look into the issue. The court had also directed the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau to probe the elephant deaths to ascertain whether they were due to electrocution