District administration orders inquiry into parading of elephants for foreigners in Cherthala

ALAPPUZHA: Alappuzha district administration on Monday ordered an inquiry after activists complained against a tourist group which allegedly conducted the parading of elephants for foreigners at a temple in Panavally.
The Heritage Animal Task Force (HATF), a Thrissur based NGO, on Sunday approached both the state and Union governments after the tourist group organized a special parading of elephants inside of a temple at Panavally in Cherthala taluk.
Since the NGO registered strong protest, district collector N Padmakumar on Monday ordered an inquiry into Saturday's illegal parading of elephants and assistant forest conservator of Alappuzha has been deployed to hold the inquiry.
According to HATF chief V K Venkitachalam, nobody can conduct a parade of elephants as per the Kerala government order issued on March 20, 2013.
However, Alappuzha district witnessed blatant violation of the rules. The tourists group organized an elephant parade even as the district collector on Saturday convened a meeting of elephant contractors, festival organizers and mahouts for ensuring the implementation of the Supreme Court order regarding elephant parades,'' said Venkitachalam.
The government order issued on March, 20 2013 specifically states (5th condition) that nobody has the freedom to organize elephant parades after 2012. Though the district collector, the district police chief and the district assistant forest conservator of Social Forestry Department have the authority to prevent the conducting of the new pooram at Panavally, they did not interfere and instead, conducted awareness programmes at the district collectorate against cruelty to elephants,'' says the complaint filed by HATF.
HATF submitted its complaint against Saturday's elephant parade in Cherthala with the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest, Animal Welfare Board of India and the state government.
"Blatant violation of elephant parade rules is rampant in Alappuzha. Alappuzha district is the only district in Kerala where two elephants killed two persons within a gap of four days in 2015 because of such illegal elephant parades. Alappuzha district is the native place of home minister Ramesh Chennithala, who has the official responsibility to ensure peaceful living of citizens and heritage animals. Authorities should take immediate action against illegal parading of elephants,'' said Venkitachalam.
The collector said action will be taken against the people and the organization concerned if the inquiry report says rules have been violated.