Nirakarpur: A herd of 23 elephants are on a rampage in the villages of Achyutapur, Rameswar, Tankol and Nirakarpur panchayats. The villages are close to the Tangi forest range in Khurda district. The herd for the last few days has extensively damaged crops and properties, giving sleepless nights to the villagers.
The villagers alleged that the Forest department personnel is not doing anything to drive away the elephants. Forest department officials on the other hand said that while some of the elephants were operating in a herd, some pachyderms have broken away from the group and causing damage on their own. They said that a group of 15 elephants were roaming in the Rameswar, Dhanaghar, and Mundia panchayats.
The 15 elephants in Rameswar locality were recently spotted on ‘Nuajagannath’ road. The damaged the harvested paddy crops. Due to large herd, people are now afraid to step out of their houses, especially after dusk sets in.
To make matters worse, rumours are making the job of the Forest department all the more difficult to drive away the herd. People who spread such rumours of elephant attacks have been asked not to do so. Villagers demanded that stringent action be taken against such rumor mongers.
When contacted, Bhushandapur forester Siddhu Charan Singh informed that efforts are on to drive the herd back into the forest. “We have been monitoring the herd’s movements and taking steps accordingly,” Singh said.
However, people affected had a different opinion to offer. “The officials are not doing anything to drive away the herd. They are not worried about our problems,” the villagers said.
PNN