Initiative to detect active TB cases in UP and Uttarakhand
The initiative is undertaken by the Institute of Heart and Lung Diseases (IHLD) in collaboration with Krafton India.
The forest department conducted a special operation in Rishikesh early Thursday morning to rescue a wild elephant stuck in river Ganga. The tusker was spotted at the barrage gate from where water is supplied for power generation to Chilla power plant.
First, the pressure was reduced by diverting the water to Haridwar town and then guiding the elephant to safety through torchlight.
According to forest staff, the territorial fight forced the tusker, about 40-year-old, to flee and rush to the riverside. The elephant got swayed away by the strong currents of Ganga and got trapped at the Virbhadra barrage gate in Rishikesh. The water pressure at the gate was high and the tusker was struggling.
Sanatan Sonker, director of Rajaji Tiger Reserve said, “It was a challenging condition. High volume of water created problems in the rescue operation and we asked the irrigation department to take permission from the Minister of Water Resources in Delhi for opening the channel gate. After the clearance, the gates were opened and water level decreased for a few minutes and we were able to successfully rescue the elephant.”
The Virbhadra barrage gate consists of 15 gates. The elephant was trapped in the main channel supplying water to Chilla power plant.
Ali Hassan, a member of the rescue team, said, “Once the water diverted towards Haridwar, the torchlight navigation took the elephant to the gate that was left open for this special operation. The elephant floated with the water to reach a safe location.”
The incident took place in the forest area of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand. The forest staff started the special operation at 2.30 am till 4.30 am.
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