Guwahati: Tura MP Agatha Sangma has urged the Central government to properly map the elephant corridors in Meghalaya to bring down incidents of human-animal conflict.
The elephant corridors are specially-designed gaps along the fenced border, allowing the tuskers to cross between Bangladesh and India for food and shelter.
Meghalaya has proposed five such corridors, all in the Garo Hills region, for keeping a track on elephant movement to and from Bangladesh via the Balpakram National Park in South Garo Hills.
Speaking in Lok Sabha, the Tura MP said that the main objective of building elephant corridors is to reduce conflict between human beings and animals by facilitating free movement and avoiding direct contact with the jumbos.
She further added that although the hill state has many elephant corridors, none of them have been mapped properly.
Sangma also made a surprising revelation that the amendments to the proposed Wild Life Protection Act by the Centre have, by default, allowed commercial display and trade of elephants.
She also strongly opposed a proposal to declare certain animals as vermin, which according to her, will ultimately result in the annihilation of their declining population.
Also Read | No BJP leaders being harassed by Meghalaya Police: Home Minister Rymbui
