Chitwan, May 27:

With an aim to keep wild animals from straying into human habitat and creating terror, electric wires have been installed in 80-kilometre area around the Chitwan National Park’s buffer zone.

The barricade was installed by bringing energiser machines from Australia at the initiative of Mrigakunj Buffer Zone Consumers Committee.

Electric wires have been installed up to 35 kilometres in the eastern part of the buffer zone and up to 45 kilometres in the western part of the buffer zone, chairman of Buffer Zone Consumers’ Committee, Krishna Bhurtel, said.

Locals said wild animals had stopped troubling them since the installation of the electric wires in the area.

“We have installed the energiser machines in the areas where it is deemed necessary,” chairman of the committee, Bashu Dhungana, said. Power is being supplied to the electric wires through the energiser machines, he said, adding that the machines were being operated by electricity and solar power.

Also for the same cause, four machines were sent to Madi area of Chitwan and four to Bardiya district, the committee said.

According to Dhungana, an energiser machine operating on electricity costs Rs 50,000 and the machine operating on solar power costs Rs 75,000.

While the community seeking to install the electric wire has to purchase the machines and wires, the national park provides wooden pillars to fix the wires.

Beside labour cost, Rs 100,000 is needed to instal wires in each kilometre and an energiser machine covers five kilometres, Bhurtel said. It is learnt that the task of installing electric wires is yet to start in Madi area.