50 elephants electrocuted in four years in Karnataka
Bengaluru: Karnataka has witnessed the tragic deaths of 50 elephants over the past four years due to electrocution, with the Madikeri division reporting the highest number of such fatalities. In this division alone, eight elephants were electrocuted, while another 12 deaths were recorded within the state's tiger reserves, underscoring the urgent need to address this issue.
The number of elephants in Karnataka have increased steadily, rising from 6,049 in 2017 to 6,395 by early 2023. Despite this apparent success in conservation efforts, the rising number of elephant electrocutions has raised alarms among wildlife activists, particularly as many habitats are being disrupted by expanding 'development' projects.
Nagaraj, a resident from Padavinangady in Mangaluru, filed a request seeking district-wise data on elephants killed due to electrocution from 2021 to 2024. In response, the forest department provided division-wise figures, including details of electrocutions within protected areas.
Alarmingly, 19 elephant deaths have occurred in zones where wildlife is supposed to receive the highest levels of protection. These include the Nagarahole tiger reserve with 5 deaths, Bandipur tiger reserve with 4, BRT tiger reserve with 3, and the Shivamogga wildlife division with 3. Other affected areas include Cauvery wildlife sanctuary with 3 deaths and Bannerghatta National Park with 1 death.
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IndiGo flight enroute to Amritsar returns to Delhi
New Delhi, May 12 (PTI): An IndiGo flight enroute to Amritsar returned to the national capital on Monday evening after precautionary blackout measures were enforced there, according to sources.
The flight 6E2045 from Delhi to Amritsar returned to the national capital after being airborne for sometime, as per information available on flight tracking website Flightradar24.com.
The sources said the flight had to return as the Amritsar airport was closed due to the precautionary blackout.
There was no comment from IndiGo.
Amritsar was among the 32 airports that were reopened for civilian flights on Monday after being temporarily shut in the wake of the military conflict between India and Pakistan.
Punjab shares a 553-kilometre-long border with Pakistan.
An air-raid siren was sounded in Amritsar, which lies along the border.
"We are alert. We are enforcing a blackout," Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said in a message on Monday and urged people to stay away from windows.
