Skip to content Skip to navigation

18-km-long solar powered fences to protect from wild elephants

By AT News |

Premier biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak has installed 18 km of solar powered fence to facilitate human-elephant coexistence at Nagirjuli, Baksa. This initiative will ensure food security and substantial decrease in human-elephant conflict incidents, thus directly benefiting approximately 15,000 people of 35 hamlets in 12 villages. The installation of solar-powered fences was conducted with extensive support from local communities and Forest Department, and funded by Elephant Family Foundation India.
The 18 km solar powered fence with two strands has been installed into two phases covering several villages around the Nagrijuli-Udalguri national highway. A 14 km fence was erected from No. 1 Dongargaon to Arongajuli village and the second part of the fence of 4 km length was installed from Piplanee to Serchini village. Five units of solar operated high power fence machines were installed to run the fences.
Nagrijuli area is one of the hotspots of human elephant conflict in Assam; negatively impacting the villagers from every sphere. Before installation of solar powered fence, the people used to have sleepless nights in fear of losing their crops, properties and lives. A direct impact has been seen after installation of the power fence on the community which has improved their daily lives and have a positive social impact.
Local communities participated actively during the installation and the technical know-how & equipment were provided by Aaranyak. Moreover, capacity building training was provided to the local youths for fence maintenance and future sustainability of the same. Five different fencing committees were formed for maintenance of the fence.
On 5th February, 2021, a formal handover programme was organised by Aaranyak at Nagrijuli Police Outpost campus, which was graced by who’s who of the area. An MoU for five years with clauses for maintenance and smooth functioning of the fences was signed by each of the commiittee during the event. Shri Ranjit Basumatary ( BR Ferenga), EM, Forest, BTR, Shri Dharma Kanta Das, EM, Agriculture, BTR and Shri Emanuel Moshahary, MLA, Tamulpur inaugurated the solar-powered fence at the site. The inauguration was followed by a public meeting at the outpost campus, which was attended by Shri Dipul Barman, DFO, Baksa, Mr. Abbas Dewan, ACF, Manas National Park, Shri Kailash Malakar, IC, Nagrijuli, solar-fence committees and local people. From Aaranyak the event was attended Dr. Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, CEO & SG, Dr. Bibhuti Prasad Lahkar, Head, Elephant Research and Conservation Division, Udayan Borthakur, a senior scientist, Anjan Baruah, an expert on solar fences, Alolika Sinha, a wildlife biologist, Mr. Jayanta Pathak, conservation educator and other researchers and staffs working in Manas landscape. Dr. Namita Brahma, Faculty, TISS and life member, Aaranyak offered the vote of thanks.

Both the EMs, MLA and the local people expressed their gratitude to Aaranyak for undertaking this work, which ensured a peaceful coexistence between human and elephant. Mr. Upen Thapa, a retired teacher from Arangajuli menti

Author info

AT News's picture

Assam Times Staff. editor@assamtimes.org
  • 14554 reads

Add new comment

Other Contents by Author

Uneasy calm atop Karbi Hills

An eerie silence is prevailing in Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts following the death of two people belonging to different communities amid growing demand to evict the non tribals from the hills districts on Tuesday. Mobile internet has been suspended and the authority has imposed some restrictions on public gatherings to ensure peace and tranquility in the tribal dominated hills districts. Security forces are patrolling on the streets in the vulnerable areas to avert any untoward incident. But the tribal leaders and their followers have blamed it all on the government for allowing the non tribals to settle there which is contrary to the laid down rules. " We are...

Two Killed, Dozens Injured as Violence Erupts in West Karbi Anglong Over Land Eviction Demands

Tension gripped West Karbi Anglong district for a second consecutive day on Tuesday as clashes between protesters and security forces in Kheroni area left two people dead and over 45 injured, including 38 police personnel. The deceased have been identified as a differently-abled youth from the Karbi community, who succumbed during police action to disperse agitators, and another individual who died in arson attacks on shops in Kheroni market. Reports indicate the violence involved stone-pelting, use of crude bombs, arrows, and bows by mobs, prompting police to resort to lathi-charge, tear gas, and blank firing. The unrest stems from long-standing demands by Karbi organisations for the...

Flames of Frustration: Why Karbi Anglong's Eviction Crisis Exploded into Violence

The hills of West Karbi Anglong district in Assam witnessed a dramatic eruption of violence this week, underscoring deep frustrations over land rights and perceived governmental inconsistency. On December 22, 2025, protesters demanding the eviction of alleged encroachers from protected tribal grazing reserves torched the ancestral home of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) Chief Executive Member Tuliram Ronghang in Dongkamukam and set fire to several shops in Kheroni Bazaar. The next day, despite prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), clashes between opposing groups led to stone-pelting, injuring several people, including protesters,...

Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty Becomes First Woman President of Press Club of India

New Delhi: Senior journalist Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty has created history by becoming the first woman to be elected President of the Press Club of India (PCI), marking a significant milestone in the institution’s long-standing legacy. Her election is being widely hailed as a landmark moment for gender representation and leadership in Indian journalism. A respected name in the profession, Pisharoty is known for her incisive reporting, editorial leadership and long-standing commitment to press freedom, ethical journalism and the welfare of media professionals. Over the years, she has earned wide credibility for her work on politics, governance and social issues. The Press Club of...

People’s Declaration for a Resilient Brahmaputra Basin Adopted at People’s Consultation in Jorhat

A two-day ‘People’s Consultation on Strengthening Humanitarian Response and Climate Resilience in the Brahmaputra Basin’ concluded today at Hotel Clubway Grand, Jorhat, with the adoption of the People’s Declaration for a Resilient Brahmaputra Basin. The event was organised by the North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS) in collaboration with the Inter Agency Group (IAG) of Assam and various local humanitarian civil society actors from across the Brahmaputra valley, with support from Start Network. The consultation brought together humanitarian practitioners, climate workers, community leaders, civil society organisations, youth groups and women’s collectives to deliberate on...

9th Chalachitram National Film Festival Concludes in Guwahati

Guwahati: Curtains came down on the 9th Chalachitram National Film Festival at the Jyoti Chitraban premises in Kahilipara on 30 November 2025, as distinguished guests at the closing ceremony handed over awards, certificates, and cash prizes to the winning filmmakers in the presence of eminent film personalities, emerging director-producers and cine-goers. Organized by Chalachitram, a subsidiary of Vishwa Samvad Kendra-Assam, the two-day CNFF-25 showcased over 30 short features and documentaries across competitive and screening categories. ‘Koli’, directed by Jyotirmoy Mazumder, was adjudged the best short feature in the Northeast India category, while ‘Joba’, directed by Indira Baikerikar,...

NEHU Hosts IIC Regional Meet 2025; Over 500 Attend Innovation Summit

The North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) on Friday hosted the IIC Regional Meet 2025, drawing more than 500 participants from higher educational institutions across the Northeast. The day-long programme, organised under the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell (MIC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), was held at the Multi-Convention Hall on the NEHU campus. The event commenced with the traditional lighting of the lamp, followed by an introductory address by Prof. Dinesh Bhatia, SPOC of the Regional Meet. Prof. G. Bez, Chairperson of the Meet, delivered the welcome speech, while Prof. I. Hussain, Dean of the School of Technology, NEHU, offered brief remarks....

Tirtha Prasad Saikia Elected to Executive Body of IUCN India National Committee

Guwahati: Tirtha Prasad Saikia, Director of the North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS) — a local organization and an Indigenous Peoples’ Organization member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) based in Assam — has been elected to the Executive Body of the India National Committee (INC) of IUCN, representing the North-East India region. NEADS works at the intersection of humanitarian response, resilience building, climate action and environmental sustainability, adopting a nexus approach to address the human dimensions of environmental crises arising from both natural and human-induced disasters. The organization emphasizes community well-being...

PLF Awards Conferred at Pragjyotishpur Literature Festival 2025

Guwahati: The Pragjyotishpur Literature Festival (PLF) 2025 concluded this evening at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, wrapping up three days of rich literary discussions, cultural insights, and powerful storytelling. Organized by the Sankardeva Education and Research Foundation, the festival began on 14 November with acclaimed author Shefali Baidya delivering the keynote address. On the final day, the organizers announced the recipients of this year’s prestigious PLF awards. Eminent researcher and author Moneswar Deori was named the recipient of the PLF 2025 Award, while promising young writer Srotashwini Tamuli, a researcher at Birangana Sati Sadhani State University, was declared the...

NEADS Assam Brings Voices of Flood-Affected Communities to Global Climate Summit at COP-30

As the world gathers in Belém, Brazil, for the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-30), the North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS) from Assam has stepped onto the global stage to ensure the voices of the region’s flood-affected and climate-vulnerable communities are heard. Representing NEADS as an Observer of the Start Network, Tirtha Prasad Saikia, the organisation’s Director, said the participation marks a crucial moment for the North-East, one of India’s most climate-sensitive regions. “We are here because climate change is not a distant issue for us — it’s our everyday reality,” said Saikia. “Assam’s communities have been battling floods, erosion,...