Cuttack: A total of 14 elephants have died in the different forest divisions of the State till date since January 18 the Joint Task Force (JTF) informed the Orissa High Court today.
Convener of the JTF Manoj Nair submitted that while two elephants were killed by poachers, four were killed due to electrocution and three died due to disease. Nair further informed the court that 14-18 people have been killed in elephant attacks during the same period.
The division bench comprising Chief Justice Dr S Muralidhar and Justice Gourishankar Satpathy has scheduled the next hearing on the matter for April 20.
The High Court has sought to know what action has been taken on the complaint of the widow of Forest Department employee Turam Purti who committed suicide.
The High Court ordered the IIC of Jashipur police station to appear before it on the next date of hearing and apprise the court about the action taken.
The High Court expressed grave concern over the death of elephants due to electrocution and has served notices to the five power distribution companies (discoms) of the State.
The High Court has directed the power distribution companies to submit information to the High Court about how electricity is distributed in the forest areas and why elephants are getting killed.
