Gaja Praja app to address human-elephant conflict, says wildlife expert

A training programme on the ‘Gaja Praja’ mobile application was conducted for frontline staff from Kuppam, Palamaner, and Punganur ranges at Gajaramam, the Kumki elephant camp in Palamaner, on Thursday. The session, led by wildlife expert Rakesh Kalva from Hyderabad, focused on several critical aspects of the platform.

The wildlife expert trained the participants, including field staff from the Forest department and elephant trackers, on real-time reporting of crop damage incidents, accurate data entry, geo-tagging of locations, and the timely submission of claims through the app.

Later, speaking to the media, Mr. Rakesh said that during the training session, emphasis was laid on ensuring coordination between departments and maintaining transparency in the compensation process.

“We also highlighted the importance of scientific monitoring of elephant movement and the role of field staff in strengthening human-wildlife conflict mitigation. The app will be extensively propagated among the villagers in the areas affected by the movement of wild elephants,” he said.

Forest Range Officer (Palamaner) Narayana said that practical demonstrations at the Kumki camp helped participants understand ground-level challenges and the effective use of technology in addressing them.