843 elephants died in Odisha in last 11 years

At least 843 elephants have died in Odisha within the period 2010-11 till March 22 of 2020-21, Odisha Forest & Environment Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha informed the State Assembly on Tuesday.

Bhubaneswar:As many as 843 elephants have died in Odisha within the period 2010-11 till March 22 of 2020-21, informed Odisha's Forest and Environment Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha in the State Assembly on Tuesday.

Answering a query, the Minister said that 14 elephant corridors and three elephant reserves (ERs) have been identified in the State.

A total of Rs 1070.69 lakh has been spent in the last ten years under various projects of the Central and State Government and under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) scheme for the restoration of these corridors and reserves.

It has been recommended to expand the existing area of 426.91 sq km of Sambalpur Elephant Reserve to 1797.048 sq km and the 1038.3 sq km area of Mahanadi Elephant Reserve to 2,181.521 sq km.