Shillong, Feb 23: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said that the government has to take a balanced approach to reduce the probability of man-animal conflict.
Sangma said this during Question Hour to a query raised by Kharkutta MLA Rupert Momin. Parts of Garo Hills frequently experience human-elephant conflict. A study last year estimated that Meghalaya has over 600 wild elephants, second in the North East only to Assam.
Today Sangma said that there is no guaranteed measure to stop elephants taking a particular route, though the state government has proposed three new elephant corridors to add to the existing six.
The Chief Minister said that there should be public awareness campaigns on how to deal with animals on the elephant corridors and village protection schemes.
Sangma also informed that plantations are developed in locations that are accessible to elephants along their corridors, which makes it more likely that there will be conflict. “We are in a difficult position and we need to understand that animals need space and we need to respect it,” the CM said.
Apart from the four existing wildlife sanctuaries (Nongkhyllem, Siju, Baghmara Pitcher Plant and Narpuh) and two national parks (Balpakram National Park and Nokrek National Park) there are efforts to notify two more at Baghmara and Riat Khwan.
Leader of the Opposition, Dr Mukul Sangma expressed concern over the fact that many species are becoming endangered due to poaching.
Making specific reference to the pangolin, he said that plenty of flora in Garo Hills are threatened by ants. As pangolins mainly eat ants and termites, there is a need to preserve them in order to maintain the ecological balance.
