Mayurjharna elephant reserve project gets fresh momentum

Two decades after its initial announcement, the Mayurjharna Elephant Reserve remains a contentious issue, with progress stalled for years despite the region's escalating human-elephant conflict.

- BISWABRATA GOSWAMI

However, a renewed government initiative to create a 12,000-acre forest area dedicated to elephants promises a fresh approach to mitigate these challenges.

Originally proposed on 24 October, 2002 by the West Bengal forest department under the central government's Project Elephant scheme, the Mayurjharna Elephant Reserve was intended to address conflicts in the districts of Midnapore, Bankura, and Purulia.

The reserve, spanning 414 square kilometers in Jhargram's Belpahari block, is strategically bordered by other districts and Jharkhand's Dalma Elephant Sanctuary.

Despite its notification, the reserve's infrastructure and operational framework have languished for over two decades.

In 2016, the state government announced the creation of a new wildlife division (South) for the reserve, but the plan never materialized.