Rasgobindapur: Even as farmers are busy harvesting paddy, scores of elephants from neighbouring Jharkhand have been on a damaging spree in Rasgobindapur area in Mayurbhanj district. Farmers have lost their sleep over the persistent jumbo menace.
Reports said, jumbos have caused extensive damage to crops in Sarumala, Nakichua, Amarda, Naragaja, Bhoduashola panchayats while forest officials have been struggling to contain the animals.
A herd of 25 elephants from Jharkhand entered Thursday night in the area.
Locals said, the animals get holed up in forests and come out in night to eat and trample crops.
Thursday night, elephants damaged house of Duli Murmu and Khetramohan Murmu at Sarusmala. Their crops were also damaged.
At Bhalia in Betanoti range, Subodh Mohant a local, accidently encountered a tusker on Basta-Khunta Road Friday afternoon. He left the bike and ran for his life. The tusker damaged his bike.
Locals have stopped commuting on this road after sunset.
People of Bhoduahula have appealed to the forest department to drive away the animals. As forest officials tried to drive away animals with firebrands, crops in some farmland had burnt.
The matter led to a verbal fight between the forest officials and the villagers.
The forest department has kept a close watch on the elephants so that they would not head towards villages.
Forest officials advised locals not to disturb the animals. Locals said, the area is being frequented by Jharkhand elephants every year. They demanded that the forest department should take up preventive measures during harvesting season to check Jharkhand elephants from entering the area.
PNN