Jogi govt sends Barua packing

However, the government will not be imposing a penalty on Barua for the death of the tusker. Instead, Barua has been paid Rs 6 lakh as expenses for bringing her team and camping in the area for the operation and asked to wind it up.

The state is also doing a rethink on the idea of catching the tuskers, which have killed at least 34 people in the state in the past three years. Now it is exploring possibilities of instead pushing them back into Orissa and Jharkhand.

‘‘After Barua leaves, we will launch a new operation, in a week or 10 days, under the guidance of Project Elephant,’’ Chief Wildlife Warden Anoop Bhalla told The Indian Express today.

Bhalla confirmed that there were at least 14 to 17 elephants in the area which had caused a huge damage to crops and properties in Jaspur, Raigarh and Korba districts. A high-level team led by Director, Project Elephant, S.S. Bisht has already visited Jaspur and Raigarh areas and offered suggestions on the problem.

Bhalla, who accompanied the team, said a proposal for financial and technical assistance is being sent to the Centre.

Because of her expertise and repute, Barua had been assigned the task of catching the rogue tuskers and domesticating them by the Chhattisgarh government. However, the slow and tortuous death of one of the elephants — captured on camera by an associate of Green Oscar-winner Mike Pandey — during training sessions at Barua’s base camp changed everything.

Local villagers, who had earlier complained about the damage to their crops , regret what happened to Basant Bahadur. ‘‘The elephant had stopped eating and drinking. The injuries on his body and the blood oozing out of them were a painful sight,’’ says Karam Chand, a local sarpanch. Union Minister of State for Forests and Environment Dilip Singh Judeo, who hails from Jaspur, has asked for a detailed report from the state.