Rogue elephants to be confined to forests!

statesman news service
SILIGURI, 21 MAY: To bring under control "resident" wild elephants that frequently damage houses and crops and even kill people, the state forest department is planning a project.
The objective is to confine elephants known to be trouble-makers ~ particularly tuskers ~ in a forest area and keep them there, inside the fencing. State forest minister Hiten Barman said his department had sent two proposals recently to the Central government, to build "rescue" centres for the notorious elephants.
"If the Centre allows it, we have to earmark 100 acres of forest area to build a rescue centre in north Bengal for erratic and notorious elephants involving in fighting within forests and disrupting life in forest villages," Mr Barman said.
"Our forest officials have already identified those tuskers ~ members of different herds of elephants ~ based on their track records and, at present, departmental officials always keep their eyes on them, to check the elephant menace," he said.  
"But, owing to some limitations we cannot check infighting and other problems, including man-animal conflict, when those tuskers go on the rampage. We cannot tranquillise elephants without reason and without permission from the Central authorities," the minister said. 
"So, we have decided to begin a pilot project to rehabilitate those elephants whose track records are horrible and alarming. We think this project may reduce man-animal conflict and the elephant menace in forest areas," Mr Barman told The Statesman by phone.
According to forest officials, the state has planned to build two such rescue centres: one in north Bengal, and one in south Bengal. Funds would be required for fencing to confine the elephants within the restricted zone, and to arrange fodder for them. 
A few tuskers create problems, but many wild elephants are well-behaved, according to according to the north Bengal forest department’s records. 

Opposition

Opposition against inclusion of areas from Jalpaiguri in Alipurduar dist

statesman news service
SILIGURI, 21 MAY: Residents of two gram panchayats ~ Sakoajhora-I and Binaguri ~ and almost all office-bearers and members of the two civic bodies, have started a movement against a proposal to include the areas in the proposed Alipurduar district, which is to be carved out of Jalpaiguri district. 
It was decided that office-bearers of the two gram panchayats will continue their movement jointly against the initial proposal to carve out a new district map comprising five Assembly constituencies, including Madarihat AC.
Irrespective of political affiliations, gram panchayat members have united on the issue and are raising slogans such as "We will not go under Alipurduar district". They had a meeting yesterday. 
The two gram panchayats that are under the control of Dhupguri administrative block in Jalpaiguri, are part of Madarihat AC. It was proposed that a major part of Dhupguri block and panchayat samiti remain under the present Jalpaiguri district. 
There was discussion about two gram panchayats under Dhupguri block being included in Madarihat block in Alipurduar district in order to avoid administrative and technical problems, following the Election Commission’s guideline. But it seems those gram panchayats oppose the idea. 
An all-political party meeting was convened by the Jalpaiguri district magistrate on 17 May. The political leaders will meet again on 28 May again to reach a consensus on the proposed new Alipurduar district and discuss in detail several issues after studying administrative proposals to carve out a new district, including the creation of sub-divisions. 
The pradhan and other members of Sakoajhora-I gram panchayat, which is jointly controlled by BJP, Trinamul and Congress members, convened a meeting at Gayerkata HS School this evening to formulate strategies to prevent the administration from including the gram panchayat in the new district. 
The Binaguri gram panchayat, controlled by the Congress, convened another meeting on the same issue at a local market.
Sakoajhora-I pradhan Manohar Mandal, a BJP leader, said: "We welcome the decision to create a new Alipurduar district. However, we will not go under the control of a new district as local residents will face difficulties in getting administrative services."
"If our area is included in Madarihat block, the distance to the district headquarters will be 85 km. At present, the distance between Jalpaiguri and Sakoajhora is nearly 41 km. The present distance between the panchayat and Dhupguri block is 12 km and, in the new administrative set-up, the distance will be 35 km," Mr Mandal said. 
The upo-pradhan of Sakoajhora gram panchayat, Mr Satyabrata Chakraborty, a Trinamul leader, said: "We have started campaigning against the proposals, collecting signatures from villagers. Local political leaders, including the CPI-M and other Left parties have supported us on this issue."
The upo-pradhan of Binaguri GP, Mr Balaram Roy, a Congress leader, said: "Local residents would have to face harassment following the new administrative set-up. Though we welcome the formation of a new district, we will never go under the new district.
"The people of Binaguri GP are under the jurisdiction of Banarhat police station, which is 5 km away. If the area goes under the control of Alipurduar district, it will come under the control of the Birpara police station, which is 13 km away," said Mr Roy