North Bengal Forest dept announces jumbo corridor restoration proj

Jalpaiguri: The North Bengal Forest and Wildlife department has unveiled an initiative to restore important elephant corridors by removing portions of tea plantations. This project aims to create and restore vital forest pathways for elephants, with the Reti-Murti Corridor chosen as the pilot project.

The Reti-Murti Corridor, spanning from Reti Forest to Murti Forest, will undergo a comprehensive restoration process. The preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for this corridor is set to commence shortly. Officials believe that revitalising these traditional elephant corridors will be instrumental in mitigating human-elephant conflicts.

Each year, human-elephant conflicts result in tragic losses, prompting the Forest department to implement various measures, including awareness campaigns. Elephants have established migratory corridors between forests, but these pathways are increasingly obstructed by human settlements and tea plantations. This disruption causes elephants to wander off course, leading to increased conflicts and accidents, particularly at railway crossings within these corridors.

To address these issues, the North Bengal Chief Forester, Bhaskar J V, stated: “We are committed to reducing human-elephant conflict through the restoration of traditional corridors.

North Bengal has 14 major corridors, most of which pass through tea gardens. We plan to remove tea plants and reforest these areas to create safe passages for elephants. Compensation will be provided to garden authorities affected by this initiative.

However, restoring a corridor requires significant investment, estimated at Rs 30 to 40 crore per corridor. We are currently exploring funding options. The Reti-Murti corridor, which includes Tulsi Para, Makra Para and Gargenda tea plantations, will serve as our pilot project.”