Bhubaneswar: As many as 925 persons died and 212 persons became physically disabled in elephant attacks in the State during the last 10 years, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Pradip Kumar Amat told the State Assembly on Tuesday.
While replying to a query of BJP lawmaker Lalitendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra, the Minister said 925 people have been killed and 212 became permanently disabled in elephant attacks in the State in the between 2012-13 and 2021-22.
The number of human casualties increased from 80 in 2012-13 to 105 in 2017-18 and 112 in 2021-22.
Highest 139 persons died of jumbo attacks in the year 2020-21, while 117 people got killed in such incidents in 2019-20 and 112 in 2021-22.
Similarly, the number of persons, who became permanently disabled in elephant attacks, has also gone up from 5 in 2012-13 to 51 in 2021-22 in the state.
Not only human lives were lost due to elephant attacks. The state has reported the death of 784 elephants in the past 10 years.
While 82 jumbos died in 2012-13, the figure was 86 in 2015-16, 93 in 2018-19 and 86 in 2021-22.
During the period, the Odisha government has conducted investigations into 39 elephant death incidents and chargesheets against 50 persons were filed. However, not a single accused has been convicted in these cases, so far, informed Shri Amat in his reply.
In another written statement to the House, the Forest Minister said that 11 wild elephants were killed by poachers during 2022-23.
As per norms, the State Government is providing Rs 4 lakh compensation to the next to kin of the deceased in elephant attack cases, Amat said.
According to the last elephant census conducted in 2017, there are 1,976 elephants in Odisha.