Forest and Revenue Departments move to clear elephant routes in Idukki after Collector's order

8 October 2026

The Forest Department and the Revenue Department in Idukki have begun joint action to clear natural elephant routes after the District Collector ordered the immediate removal of unauthorised structures blocking them.
District Collector Dinesh Cherruvattu, who chairs the District Disaster Management Authority, issued the order after three people were killed in wild elephant attacks in the district over three months.
In the first phase the Forest Department began evicting encroachments on the route leading to Mathikettan.
In Chinnakanal about 10 hectares of encroached land forming part of a proposed reserved forest were cleared, unauthorised cardamom cultivation was destroyed and iron wire and fencing blocking the corridor was cut away.
The Forest Department identifies three elephant routes in Idukki, leading to old Devikulam, Suryanelli and Mathikettan.
Chief Conservator of Forests, High Range Circle, Vinod Kumar said reopening the closed Chinnakanal-to-Mathikettan route is the first priority.
The Revenue Department is to handle encroachments in the KSEB catchment area in a later phase.