Bhubaneswar: Taking serious note of the death of seven elephants in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) today registered a Suo Motu case against the Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU) and imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on the power distribution company for its alleged negligence.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel today held CESU responsible for the death of the jumbos based on the media reports and pronounced the judgment.
Notably, seven pachyderms including a calf had died of electrocution after coming in contact with a live wire near Kamalanga village under Sadar Forest Range in Dhenkanal district on October 26. Three officials each from Forest Department and CESU were later suspended following the incident.
Later, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had also ordered a Crime Branch probe into the incident on October 28.
The Forest Department on Sunday filed an FIR against five officials of CESU in connection with the incident. The FIR has been filed at Kantabania Police Station under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 against CESU Superintending Engineer, Dhenkanal electrical circle, Naresh Chandra Patnaik, Manager (El.) Nihar Panigrahi, junior engineer, Meramundali division, Sanjay Kumar Mohanty, Chainpal SDO Artatrana Nayak and lineman Meramumndali section Phiroj Panda.
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Ms Kalinga