The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change to apprise it on the steps taken for setting of the National Elephant Conservation Authority (NECA) in pursuance to 2019 recommendations of the Elephant Task Force to set up a statutory authority for the protection and conservation of elephants.

The task force advocated for a statutory body in line with the National Tiger Conservation Authority, named the National Elephant Conservation Authority (NECA).

Asking the MoEF&CC to state the status of the recommendations by the ETF, a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Justice J B Pardiwala also sought response from the Centre and the Central Electricity Authority (CEC) on the steps taken for implementing the ETF recommendation relating to power and transmission lines passing through reserve and priority areas earmarked for the elephants.

The court also asked the 17 State governments where more than 80 elephant reserves are located on the implementation of the July 18, 2019, ETF recommendations relating to the total number of elephant corridors identified and the total number of elephant corridors notified with specific details about their area and location.

The ETF had in 2019, recommended that at the national level a statutory authority for the   protection and conservation of elephants should be created

As Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told the court that the matter was not adversarial, the court said that MoEF&CC should ensure that necessary steps are taken for the inspection of  reserve areas and implementation of thec20218b ETF recommendations.

The 2019 ETF recommendations related to the Elephant Corridors, their number and how many of them have been notified, power transmission lines passing through elephant reserves, their length and inspections, welfare of captive elephants, human elephant conflict – the number of deaths of elephant because of electrocution, train accidents, poaching, poisoning and other reasons.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change to apprise it on the steps taken for setting of the National Elephant Conservation Authority (NECA) in pursuance to 2019 recommendations of the Elephant Task Force to set up a statutory authority for the protection and conservation of elephants.

The task force advocated for a statutory body in line with the National Tiger Conservation Authority, named the National Elephant Conservation Authority (NECA).

Asking the MoEF&CC to state the status of the recommendations by the ETF, a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Justice J B Pardiwala also sought response from the Centre and the Central Electricity Authority (CEC) on the steps taken for implementing the ETF recommendation relating to power and transmission lines passing through reserve and priority areas earmarked for the elephants.

The court also asked the 17 State governments where more than 80 elephant reserves are located on the implementation of the July 18, 2019, ETF recommendations relating to the total number of elephant corridors identified and the total number of elephant corridors notified with specific details about their area and location.

The ETF had in 2019, recommended that at the national level a statutory authority for the   protection and conservation of elephants should be created

As Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told the court that the matter was not adversarial, the court said that MoEF&CC should ensure that necessary steps are taken for the inspection of  reserve areas and implementation of thec20218b ETF recommendations.

The 2019 ETF recommendations related to the Elephant Corridors, their number and how many of them have been notified, power transmission lines passing through elephant reserves, their length and inspections, welfare of captive elephants, human elephant conflict – the number of deaths of elephant because of electrocution, train accidents, poaching, poisoning and other reasons.