2017 batch IFS officer Aishwarya Raj, who is DCF, Paonta Sahib, has shared the news of the introduction of Project Elephant (now project Tiger & Elephant) in the state of Himachal Pradesh for the very first time.
Sharing on Instagram, the officer said that the department had submitted a detailed proposal along with APO to Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India this April owing to increased elephant movement from Uttarakhand into Paonta Sahib in the last few years.
He further shared that the elephant movement has been sporadic since the 1990s from Rajaji in Uttarakhand to Simbalwara NP in Paonta Sahib , but had increased drastically in the last 2 years, leading to conflict situations. “So grateful for the approval from both the State and Centre,” he added.
In his post he wrote, “Lot to learn ahead, but welcome home gentle giants🐘 From watchtower installations to anti-depredation squads, solar fencing and elephant proof trenches, capacity building to engagement of ‘Gaj mitras’ among local communities and awareness programmes, the task is humongous but worth introducing in the state as a new home (elephant corridor) for our 🐘🐘🐘 and for thriving wildlife!”
