SHILLONG: Well versed with the ways of the jungles, militants have been following elephant corridors to jump the Indo-Bangladesh border by giving the security forces the slip, a trick, which the BSF manning the porous border is trying to deal with.

Militants belonging to various groups, who sneak into the Garo Hills, have been using elephant corridors along the thickly forested international border that Meghalaya shares with the neighbouring country.

To tackle the problem, the BSF has proposed a project called 'Elephant Corridors' to the Union ministry of home affairs with an aim to resolve man-animal conflict as well as to prevent militants from "using the elephant passes to infiltrate and ex-filtrate the international border."

"We want free movement for elephants and the proposed elephant corridors would reduce man-animal conflict in the areas," outgoing inspector general of the Meghalaya Frontier of the BSF, Sudesh Kumar, said.

'Follow the elephants to avoid the security forces' is a tactical move of the militants who crisscross the international border in the Garo Hills stretch, Kumar said.

The BSF has sent a proposal to construct five elephant corridors along the border areas in consultation with the forest department. "Two models related to the elephant corridor were proposed to the ministry. Without disturbing the animals, we had proposed superior fencing and strong watch towers through the proposed corridors to facilitate to and fro movement of elephants and, in turn, help our force to strictly monitor the movement of jumbos and militants using the trails," Kumar said.

The outgoing IG also lamented the deplorable condition of the road and telecommunication network in the border areas of the state. He pointed out four factors as barriers for the border guards in performing their duties - poor road communication, telecommunication and medical facilities and an unfenced border.

