George responds to human-elephant conflict in Chikkamagaluru; meeting will be held on this issue
Minister for Energy K.J. George has said that the State government will take necessary measures to avoid human-elephant conflicts in the Malnad region.
Chairing the Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) meeting in Chikkamagaluru on Saturday, the Minister said that to discuss the issue, a meeting with senior officers of the Forest Department will be held.
Responding to legislators who raised the issue in the meeting, Mr. George, who is also the Minister in charge of Chikkamagaluru district, said a comprehensive plan to tackle the conflict was necessary as neighbouring Hassan and Shivamogga districts were also facing similar problems.
'The plan must include elephant habitat restoration, community engagement, and restoration of the elephant corridor,' he said.
M.K. Pranesh, deputy chairman of the Legislative Council, said that many elephants from Sakleshpur of Hassan district had entered the Mudigere range in Chikkamagaluru. Spread over three to four groups, they had been roaming, troubling the local public. He urged the Minister to hold a meeting on the issue in Bengaluru.
C.T. Ravi, MLC, suggested that the restoration of elephant habitats was one of the ways to address the problem. If the elephants had sufficient food in the forests, they would not enter human habitats.
MLA for Mudigere Nayana Motamma brought to the Minister's attention that elephants from neighbouring Hassan had been causing trouble in her constituency.
Mr. George, responding to the legislators, stated that the government would set up a camp at the Bhadra Wildlife Division to keep the captured elephants. Besides, officers had been driving away elephants that enter human habitats.
MLA for Sringeri T.D. Raje Gowda and senior officers were present at the meeting.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Encroachment of 43 acres of wildlife sanctuary cleared in Chikkamagaluru
Shivamogga Officials of the Bhadra Tiger Reserve cleared encroachments on 43 acres in survey number 43 of Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, at Kesavina Mane village in Muthodi wildlife range in a three-day operation that ended on Monday. A team of 100 staff members participated in the drive. The Forest Department had registered a case with regard to the encroachment of forest area under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, on September 2, 2022. The court of Assistant Conservator of Forests of the Bhadra Wildlife Subdivision heard the case and, on April 28, 2025, issued an order to clear the encroachment within 39 days. As the encroachers did not clear within the stipulated deadline, the department conducted the operation with the support of Chikkamagaluru district administration, the police and the Health Department. The staff members of Bhadra Wildlife Subdivision, Lakkvalli range and support staff were involved in the operation, said Pulkit Meena, DCF of Bhadra Tiger Reserve, in a press release.
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
100 new power sub-stations proposed in State: George
In a move to improve the efficiency of the State's power distribution network, Karnataka is set to establish 100 new sub-stations. The ambitious project is expected to be completed within the designated timeline, according to Energy Minister K.J. George. After a progress review meeting with the district's public representatives here on Wednesday, the Minster told reporters that the project had been conceptualised to develop essential infrastructure aimed at delivering reliable and high-quality power supply. In Mysuru district alone, 44 power transmission substations were expected to be commissioned within two years, ensuring quality power supply to farmers and the public. Although there was currently no power shortage, lack of basic infrastructure was causing supply issues. To resolve this, the number of power transmission substations was being increased, Mr. George said. All steps were being taken to provide reliable electricity supply to farmers' pumpsets. Of the 4 lakh illegal pumpsets in the State, 2.5 lakh had been regularised. For pumpsets located within 500 metres of feeders, the department would provide transformers. For pumpsets located beyond 500 metres, solar pump sets would be provided under the Kusum-B scheme, the Minister said. Solar power Mr. George said the government had set a target of generating 2,400 megawatts of solar power through feeder solarisation of agricultural pumpsets under the Kusum-C scheme. On June 11, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would inaugurate the solar power plant established under the Kusum scheme at Thondebhavi in Gauribidanur. The Energy Minister said that linking Aadhaar with the RR numbers of agricultural pumpsets had sparked rumours about discontinuing free electricity, and clarified that the process aimed at verifying the amount of electricity supplied to farmers and the number of existing connections. He assured that free electricity would continue for agricultural pumpsets up to 10 HP and that farmers would receive a proper seven-hour electricity supply. The Minister said after the Chief Minister recently visited the haadis (tribal hamlets), steps had been taken to supply electricity to them, and required infrastructure was being developed. Steps had been made to supply electricity to more than 600 haadi households, he said. During the meeting, MLA Tanveer Sait said Mysuru was a rapidly growing city, and CESC should prioritise resource mobilisation. Under the Ganga Kalyana scheme, electricity connection should be provided immediately after borewells were drilled. In drinking water supply schemes, due to overload in pump houses, frequent power trips was occurring, he said. MLA Srivatsa sought greater attention to the electricity supply problems affecting drinking water distribution. In response, Mr. George said steps will be taken to ensure proper electricity supply not just in Mysuru city, but across the district. Additional Chief Secretary of the Energy Department Gaurav Gupta said steps had been taken to provide electricity during the daytime in forest fringe areas. Measures had been taken to ensure that there were no issues in regions where there was human-wildlife conflict. MLAs G.T. Devegowda, K. Harish Gowda, D. Ravishankar, MLCs K. Vivekananda, Dr. D. Thimmaiah, KPCL Managing Director Pankaj Kumar Pandey, Deputy Commissioner Lakshmikant Reddy, Zilla Panchayat CEO Yukesh Kumar, CESC Managing Director K.M. Munigopal Raju, Guarantee Implementation Committee Vice President Dr. Pushpa Amarnath, and others were present.
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Gruha Jyothi scheme has seen 99% success in Mysuru district: George
Energy Minister K.J. George on Wednesday said Mysuru district had achieved a 99% success rate in the implementation of the Gruha Jyothi scheme, which provides free electricity to eligible households. Speaking to the mediapersons after a departmental progress review meeting, the Minister said the State government allocates ₹9,000 crore annually to Escoms under the guarantee scheme of supplying free power to the beneficiaries. Mr. George promised that in the event of a transformer failure, restoration will be completed within 24 hours in urban areas and within 48 hours in rural areas. During the meeting, K.R. Nagar MLA, D. Ravishankar, raised concerns about the conduct of CESC staff and linemen, alleging that they were unresponsive and discourteous towards farmers. Responding to the complaint, the Minister stated that strict action would be taken against any official or lineman found misbehaving with farmers. All staff must handle power-related grievances with courtesy and responsibility, he instructed. CESC managing director K.M. Munigopal Raju informed that the underground cabling work in Mysuru city is progressing well and will be completed in the next two years. Despite damage caused by recent heavy rains, emergency measures have been initiated to restore power supply and maintain infrastructure. He said power projects across the CESC jurisdiction are being implemented efficiently and on schedule.
