1,500 families to become beekeepers

KOLKATA: In a unique step to reduce man elephant conflict in Alipurduar that comprise Jaldapara National Park and Buxa Tiger Reserve(BTR) , the district administration is providing apiculture facilities for livelihood generation in the adjoining forest areas. The man pachyderm conflict not

only leads to loss of lives but huge agriculture crop losses too.

"The project has been conceived for harmonious existence between elephants and human and stop the villagers from venturing into deep forests for collection of honey and getting involved in conflict with the jumbos.

The plan is to involve over 1500 families of Falakata and Madarihat adjoining Jaldapara and Kumargram adjoining BTR under this project," Surendra Kumar Meena, District Magistrate Alipurduar said.The training in apiculture by using bee boxes will be provided free of cost to the interested villagers through convergence of Utkarsh Bangla scheme. The state government will be spending Rs 2 crore for the project.

According to a senior official in the district administration, a pilot project was rolled out at Nurpur in the same district 18 months back by involving 300 families which proved to be very successful.