Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday ordered a Crime Branch probe into the death of seven elephants due to electrocution in Dhenkanal district.
Expressing grief over their death, the Chief Minister also said that appropriate action would be taken if any criminal negligence was found in the matter.
Seven elephants died after coming in contact with a low-hanging live wire near Kamalanga village late on Friday night.
While three carcasses were lying on a road, four others were inside a canal. The incident took place when the herd was moving towards a canal road from a nearby paddy field.
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Blaming the power authorities for the tragedy, Forest minister Bijayshree Routray said the Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU) had been warned about the matter long ago, but no corrective step was taken.
Non-rectification of sagging lines and non-cabling of transmission lines led to the tragedy, Routray and Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) Sandeep Tripathi said.
The Energy department suspended two officials and sacked a junior engineer after the deaths. The Forest department also suspended three officials for negligence.
The incident drew sharp criticism from the opposition parties, with both the Congress and the BJP accusing the state government of "utter negligence".
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Senior BJP leader Rudra Narayan Pani hit out at the government and said both the Energy and Forest departments were "responsible" for the tragedy which claimed the lives of seven elephants.
Environmentalist and wildlife expert Biswajit Mohanty said there are 200 places in Dhenakanal district where high voltage electric wires are sagging at a low height and left unattended.
Despite repeated letters to the CESU by the Forest department and stakeholders, nothing tangible has been done till date, he alleged.
With IANS and PTI inputs
