Solar street lights have come up on a patch of the Sunderbans that is prone to straying of tigers.
Twenty-five poles have been set up on a 47km stretch in Kultali in the Baruipur subdivision of the South 24-Parganas. Each pole is powered by an overhead solar panel. The LED light runs on lithium batteries.
The lights were formally inaugurated on Wednesday.
The road on which the lights have come up runs along the embankments of creeks of rivers like the Piyali and Matla. Villages like Bhubaneswari, Debipur, Madhya Gurguria, Purba Gurguria and Deulbari are on one side of the road, across the dams.
On the other side is the Chituri forest. Two sets of nets, along the dam and the forest, act as barriers against the possible straying of wild animals.
Around 4,500 people live in the villages along the road.
Electricity is a luxury in these villages, available in hourly slots. After sundown, the narrow road — made of mostly bricks — becomes pitch dark.
Most people who take the road walk with mobile torches.
The nets are not enough. Between December 2021 and February 2022, at least eight tigers strayed from the forests into villages or their fringes in the mangrove delta.
Each tiger was eventually captured and released back into the forest.
Holes made by people entering the forest and natural damages in the nets have been blamed for the intrusions.
“The terrain of the Sunderbans is very challenging and no step is full-proof. But we hope these street lights will go a long way in preventing the intrusion of tigers and other wild animals like fishing cats.
“The terrain of the Sunderbans is very challenging and no step is full-proof. But we hope these street lights will go a long way in preventing the intrusion of tigers and other wild animals like fishing cats.
Snakebites are also a common problem in this area. Common kraits and cobras have killed several people in the past few years, said forest officials. The nearest hospital is over 30km away.
“In the dark, it is impossible to spot a snake in the gap between two bricks. The lights are expected to mitigate snakebites as well,” said Mandal, the DFO.
An NGO called the Kolkata Society for Cultural Heritage has executed the project.
“Solar energy is an affordable and sustainable solution. The lights are charged throughout the day. They have a 24-hour backup. We are considering this as a baby step. If it is successful, these lights can be a game-changer in the Sunderbans,” said Sourav Mukherjee, the founder of the NGO.
Rape cuffs on BSF inspector
A 60-year-old BSF inspector attached with the 54th Battalion was arrested on Wednesday, days before his retirement, for allegedly raping a 34-year-old constable.
Kitab Singh, the accused, posted at an outpost near the India-Bangladesh border in Nadia’s Krishnaganj, was produced before a court in Krishnagar on Thursday. He was sent to four days’ police remand.
The alleged crime occurred on February 18 when Singh had reportedly called the constable for some work and raped her inside the border outpost.
