AKIPRESS.COM - Indian officials have begun relocating some 300 crocodiles from a reservoir next to the world's tallest statue to allow a seaplane service for visitors, BBC reports. 

The animals, some around 3m (9ft) long, are being lured into metal cages and sent elsewhere in the western state of Gujarat.

But conservationists have criticised the plan.

The 182m statue of independence hero Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was inaugurated last October.

The bronze-clad statue sculpture, located some 200km (125 miles) from the state's main city of Ahmedabad, has become a popular attraction.

Local forestry official Anuradha Sahu said the instruction had come from the state government "for safety reasons as the tourist influx has increased", AFP news agency reports.

So far about a dozen crocodiles have been removed and transported on the back of pick-up trucks.