Congress leader and former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said on Tuesday that elephant habitats and corridors are being systematically destroyed by mining and other projects, adding that the commitment to protect them is clearly missing.
His comments followed a Supreme Court directive issued the previous day ordering the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to carry out a nationwide survey to determine whether any states have built barriers or obstacles in elephant corridors.
Ramesh noted that surveys already exist while habitats continue to be damaged. The court stressed that states cannot erect any obstacles in elephant pathways to safeguard crops or livelihoods. It ruled out the use of fireballs, spikes or torches to deter the animals.
The bench observed that elephants travel long distances across states including West Bengal, where they move from Nepal toward Jharkhand, and in Haryana’s Yamuna Nagar region, from where they proceed to Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. No state may block these routes.
The court directed the Centre to submit a comprehensive report within six weeks detailing steps taken to keep corridors unobstructed and addressing the use of coercive measures against wildlife.
