Sundargarh: A herd of elephants was spotted near Jalda Hatibandha area in Rourkela city Wednesday morning.
According to locals, the herd comprised of 18 elephants. The villagers spotted the animals and alerted the forest department officials fearing the safety of commuters on the way. They spotted the elephants roaming in the area Wednesday.
On being informed about the matter, forest department officials reached the spot to take stock of the situation. The district administration has enforced a partial restriction on movement to ensure safety of motorists.
Forest department is keeping a close tab on the movement of elephants. Nearly 50 forest personnel are deployed in the area to ward off the pachyderms and prevent them from destroying crops and venturing into the town.
The elephants often travel from one forest to another at night and take rest during daytime. This tendency of the animals makes the job of driving them out difficult for the forest department without collateral damage.
PNN