Chennai, Nov 5 (IANS) After months of deliberation, work has finally begun on erecting a 10-foot-high steel wire fence along the forest boundary in the Coimbatore and Boluvampatti forest ranges to prevent wild elephant intrusion into nearby human settlements.

The project, estimated to cost Rs 5 crore, was announced by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin last year. The fence will cover a 10-km stretch from Vettaikarankovil in the Boluvampatti range to Kottaimuthumariamman Kovil in the Coimbatore range, passing through the Attukal tribal settlement.

Currently, bush clearing is underway, following which steel structures for fixing poles will be installed by the contractor. The project is being executed by a Hosur-based firm that has already implemented similar fencing in the Hosur forest division of Krishnagiri district, where about 30 km of fencing was completed over the last six years.

The initiative reportedly yielded encouraging results in curbing elephant intrusions in the region.

According to officials, the new design will feature a 10-foot-high steel wire fence with ten strands of high-tensile steel wire between each pair of poles, capable of withstanding up to 18 tonnes of pressure. In contrast to the earlier installations in Hosur that used pre-cast concrete pillars and eucalyptus spacers, the Coimbatore project will employ high-strength steel pillars and steel spacers for enhanced durability and resistance to weathering.

The initiative is part of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department’s efforts to address the rising human-elephant conflict in the Coimbatore and Boluvampatti ranges, which have witnessed frequent elephant movements over the past decade.

The project was temporarily halted after a Chennai-based animal rights activist objected that the fencing could hinder elephant movement. However, following a field inspection on September 5 by a special division bench of Justices N. Sathish Kumar and D. Bharatha Chakravarthy, along with the amicus curiae and forest officials, the Madras High Court permitted the project to proceed with certain safeguards, including continuous camera-based monitoring of elephant movement.

Forest sources said the work is expected to be completed within three months, though rocky terrain in certain stretches may cause minor delays. Once finished, the steel wire fencing is expected to provide a durable barrier to reduce human-elephant conflict across the Coimbatore forest division.

–IANS

aal/dpb