“As the steel plant falls under an elephant corridor, the plant authorities should take measures to prevent such incidents. The department is mulling action against the factory,” Athagarh forest division DFO Arun Mishra said.
Earlier, on Friday, carcass of a beheaded pregnant elephant with her tusks removed was found in the buffer zone of Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR). According to sources the dead jumbo was lying in a water channel near Karaikacha under Talabandh section of Bisoi forest range.
While it is alleged that the elephant was poisoned to death by the poachers, forest officials claimed the animal died after it fell down in the drain from a height of nearly 30 feet.
As many as 14 places have been declared as elephant corridors in the state. These are Badampahar, Badampahar-Karida, Deuli-Suliapada, Similipal, Hadgada-Kulad, Telkoi-Pallahara, Karei-Karampada, Maulaganj-Jindimal-Anantpur, Kanheijena-Anantpur, Buguda-Nayagarh, Nuagaon-Baruni, Tala-Kholagarh, Barpahar-Tarabha-Kantamal, Kotagarh-Chandrapur and Karlapat-Bharladani.