Community solar fence for 15,000 acres of paddy field proposed

MADIKERI: The forest department has proposed to villagers living on the forest fringes to install community solar fences in the area around the paddy fields to prevent entry of wild animals into the field.
The paddy fields have fallen into disrepair in recent times without maintenance. In many places, the farmer has kept his land uncultivated due to wild animals entering the paddy fields. Due to this, in Kodagu, more than 15,000 acres of paddy fields are found to be uncultivated and neglected. According to the officials, the new plan will help to prevent wildlife entry and to promote paddy cultivation. The objective of the department is to install solar wires through solar energy. The department continues to make special efforts to implement this scheme to avoid desertification of paddy lands.
By implementing such projects, the department has come forward to protect the paddy fields of the farmers and implement this project with 100% subsidy is one of the programmes of the department. Most of the farmers in Kodagu, especially Srimangala, Hudikeri, Ponnampet and Balele Hobli of Kodagu, have been cultivating in their paddy fields since time immemorial.
In recent years, after the paddy crops have been harvested, the crops have been destroyed by the wild elephants. Due to this the farmers were suffering loss. Farmers and paddy growers have stopped farming in their fields due to the fact that the relief provided by the department is not beneficial to the farmers.
The department has conducted a survey and collected information about 15 to 18 thousand acres of paddy lands lying waste in Kodagu. Deforested paddy fields are mostly barren lands. Due to the menace of wild animals, the department has arranged with the government to encourage farming by installing solar fences in each paddy field. This project will be implemented shortly, disclosed B N N Murthy, CCF Kodagu.