Sajnagad: An elephant herd from Jharkhand is on the rampage for eight days at Sajnagad in Balasore district. The elephants have destroyed crops and properties of many people in the area.
Sources said the jumbos had come to the Kuldiha Reserve Forest Sunday. But when they returned from the reserve forest Monday they destroyed the crops and properties of Podasula, Kumudsula and Bedarsahi residents.
The elephant herd attacked and seriously injured a 62-year-old man who had gone to relieve himself in the Sataranda village of Kumudsula. The elephant herd entered the Tinikosia Reserve Forest early Tuesday.
The Nilagiri Forest Department had launched ‘Operation Gajendar’ to drive the elephant herd back to the forest, but the department failed to conduct the operation successfully.
When Nilagiri Forest Ranger Sukumar Das was asked about this he said it is not possible to drive away the pachyderms till the herd came together. Some elephants had separated from the herd. “Once the elephants get together, we will drive them away to Jharkhand forests,” he added.