Chennai: Madras high court has granted three more months’ time to the Tamil Nadu forest department to notify elephant corridors across the state. The time was granted since there was a discrepancy in the number of corridors identified by the Wildlife Trust of India and the state govt.A special division bench of Justice N Sathish Kumar and Justice K Rajasekar passed the order as the department submitted that a study is presently being undertaken to ascertain whether all the identified areas are required to be notified as elephant corridors.When the plea came up for hearing on Friday, Venuprasad, principal chief conservator of forests, who was present in the court submitted that originally 17 elephant corridors had been identified by the Wildlife Trust of India, however, a committee constituted by the state govt has identified 41 corridors.An in-depth study is being undertaken, and field inspections are also being carried out to ascertain the requirement for notification of the identified areas as corridors, he said and sought further time to complete the process and submit a comprehensive report.Similarly, as to the operation of mechanised boats in Pykara Lake, Ooty, the state submitted that such boats will not be operated in the fragile mountain ecosystem or any other place throughout the state. Recording the submission, the bench adjourned the hearing to Dec 4.
