Engineers booked after elephants electrocuted in Orissa

BHUBANESWAR - Three engineers of a private power distribution company in Orissa have been booked for the deaths of three elephants by electrocution in Keonjhar district, an official said Tuesday.

The engineers of the North Eastern Electricity Supply Company of Orissa Ltd (NESCO) were booked under various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, Divisional Forest Officer Sarat Chandra Mohanty told IANS.

Three elephants - two males and a female - were found dead early Sunday near Durlabhapur village under Telkoi forest division, about 210 km from Bhubaneswar. They died after allegedly coming in contact with a high-tension overhead wire.

“Power lines in forest areas are supposed to be at a specific height above the ground. The rules were not followed strictly by the power distribution company,” Mohanty said.

He said the district authorities have formed a team, comprising forest and power officials, to examine the status of high tension electrical lines in various places of the district.

According to the 2010 Census, there are 1,886 elephants in the state.

Biswajit Mohanty, the secretary of the Wild Life Society of Orissa, said as many as 150 elephants have died of electrocution during the last 10 years.