Guwahati: The animal sensor cameras installed in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park spending crores of rupees have been non-functional for the last two months.
To protect wild animals from road mishaps and to facilitate their free movement, the Kaziranga National Park authorities installed six animal sensor cameras on NH 37 in June last year.
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The censor cameras were installed on NH 37, which passes through Kaziranga National Park following the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), said a local wildlife activist.
The sensor-based cameras were installed in nine designated animal corridors of the park, including at Haldhibari, Kanchanjuri and Panbari along the National Highway 37 that passes along the southern boundaries of the Kaziranga National Park, he said.
The cameras, which are equipped with automatic number plates recognizing with radar, were installed with the aim to detect the speed of vehicles.
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The park authorities used to regulate vehicle speed limit during floods in Assam as animals come near NH 37 in search of dry land with many crossing the road to reach the highlands.
Speeding vehicles on the highway often claim the lives of animals, especially when Kaziranga is flooded and the animals cross the road to reach the highlands.
However, the cameras failed to serve the purpose as they remained non-functional for the last few months, the activist said requesting anonymity.
Datalogic, the company, which was given the contract for its installation and operation, has reportedly stopped its service as park authorities have not released payment to the Hyderabad-based company.
Sources said at least five staffers engaged in the maintenance of the cameras have left for Hyderabad after they failed to get their remunerations.