Kottoor Elephant Rehabilitation Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala is being upgraded to International standard and is set to become the world’s largest care and cure centre for elephants. The upgradation of the centre is a part of the special program of the government of Kerala for the protection and conservation of elephants.
The project is implemented at a cost of Rs.108 crore funded from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board(KIIFB).
Aim:
The centre aims to provide a rehabilitation centre for elephants in a natural ecosystem.
About the Project:
i.Around Rs.71.9 crores was spent on the first phase of the centre which will be commissioned in February 2021.
ii.The centre at 176 hectares of forest land will accommodate around 50 elephants including the 16 existing elephants.
iii.Out of the 50 elephant habitats enclosed by steel poles and nets, 35 will be completed in the first phase and the rest will be completed in the 2nd phase.
iv.The project includes the construction of reservoirs and check dams at Neyyar Dam and a special facility for elephant calves.
v.The project also plans to set up a convention centre, an amphitheatre and a unit for making paper from elephant dung and waste to biogas producing systems.
Note:
The tourism projects of the forest department and water resource department in Neyyar dam will also be developed along with this project.
Features of the Center:
i.The centre will have an elephant museum, a veterinary hospital with speciality facilities, a study and research centre for students and nature lovers, training centre for mahouts, an entrance plaza, administrative office and parking area, a cafeteria, cottages, a toilet block and a elephant viewing facility.
ii.The centre will also have a post mortem facility, a cemetery and a liquid waste treatment plant.
Employment opportunities:
i.The facility will provide job opportunities to more than 250 every day out of which 100 will be elephant herders.
ii.The tribal communities in the nearby forest area will be given priority to employment at the centre and It is also expected to create job opportunities for the locals.
Recent Related News:
Kerala Government has formed ‘Kerala Karshaka Kshemanidhi Board’ (Kerala Farmers Welfare Fund Board) – a Board for upliftment of Farmers in the State. It is the first time in India that a Welfare Fund Board has been formed for upliftment of farmers.
About Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board(KIIFB):
Chairman– Pinarayi Vijayan (Chief Minister of Kerala)
CEO & Member Secretary– Dr. K.M.Abraham
Headquarters– Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
