Mysuru: The forest dept has decided to take up rail fencing along 27km inside Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR) to curb human-elephant conflict. The state govt has sanctioned the project in BTR, which is spread over 1,100sqkm of forest land.Officials said the estimated cost of the rail fencing is Rs 40.5 crore. A tender was floated to take up work on an initial 8km stretch as part of the first phase of implementation.The dept has entered into a pact with Indian Railways for the supply of tracks for the fencing. Even though its costs around Rs 1.5 crore for 1km of rail fencing, the dept has given consent for the same, as this method has successfully prevented wild jumbos from straying out of forests, attacking people, and destroying crops elsewhere in the state.BTR director S Prabhkaran told TOI the govt has given approval for 27km of rail fencing in the reserve this year. A tender was floated for the first phase of 8km fencing in the Omkara range of BTR. He also said the dept has initiated measures to prevent wildfires during the summer season. A fireline of 2,000km is readied against the target 2,800km this year. “We have also taken steps for the appointment of watchers to tackle wildfires,” he added.
