Centre slashes Project Elephant funding, conservation to be hit in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: As Odisha reports a significant number of unnatural elephant deaths and tries to find ways to reduce man-elephant conflict, Centre’s decision to curtail funds under Project Elephant has left the Forest department in a quandary as it apprehends conservation measures may be hit.Sources in the Forest and Environment department said as per Centre’s fresh directive, funding under Project Elephant to the State may reduce by 75 per cent of what was approved in the last (2021-22) fiscal. 

Reliable sources said, the State had submitted estimation for Rs 15 crore last fiscal of which around Rs 12 crore was approved. “However, this year, we have been asked to submit estimates of Rs 3 crore as a budget of only Rs 35 crore has been set aside under Project Elephant for the entire country,” sources added. The funds received under the project is spent in 21 divisions that fall under three elephant reserves -- Sambalpur, Mahanadi and Mayurbhanj -- to ensure long-term conservation management to secure their habitats and migration corridors.

As the slashed budget would be too less to meet the expenses under the project, the Forest department is now planning to submit an estimate of not less than Rs 11 crore.The major concern for the State government after reduction of funds will be managing elephant protection squads and other staff. Around 40 elephant squads, each comprising five members, have been engaged in different divisions under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (SSC) for which around Rs 4 crore to Rs 5 crore is required towards their engagement and remuneration. 

“The department would be forced to disengage many of them if alternative source of funding is not allowed either by the State or Centre,” official sources said. Fund reduction will also hamper works including creation of new water bodies, renovation of old ones, maintenance and repair of existing VHF and communication network as well as creation of new systems, construction of watch towers, barracks and forest roads in elephant habitats. 

Besides, there would also be severe shortage of funds for development of grassland meadow management, fodder plantation and elephant forage plantation in elephant habitats. The IEC activities, primarily carried out to create village level awareness, may also get affected, sources said. 

The State, in the last two decades, has lost over 1,300 elephants due to various reasons. This includes 136 deaths due to poaching, 19 caused by poisoning, 33 in train accidents, six in road mishaps while 204 died in other accidents. A whopping 206 jumbos also died due to electrocution during the period.