Sajanagad: People living in 15 panchayats under Nilagiri block in Balasore district are yet to get rid of elephant menace.
A herd of three elephants holed up in Tinikoisa forest has been causing mayhem for the last one year. The animals refused to go away from the forest, the locals said.
In the last two months, two more elephants have joined them. Locals said that the pachyderms come out of the reserve forest into villages in search of food at night.
The animals have been damaging vegetables, banana and bamboo plantations, and houses in 15 villages abutting the forest.
Intrusion of the elephants has left the people panicked. As the forest department has failed to drive the animals out, resentment has been brewing among the villagers.
The elephant menace has left an impact on the studies of children, as they do not venture out for schools.
Kuladiha ranger Sukumar Das said all efforts are on to drive the five elephants out of the area. But the animals are not going away from the area, he added.
“Patrolling is conducted on the state highway every day. The animals were driven out of Siddhi Vinayak farmhouse Thursday night,” the ranger said.
Kuladiha ACF, Laxman Pradhan, said if more efforts are invested, it may yield results.
Given the statements of the two officials, there seems to be no coordination in driving out the animals.
As anger builds up over the elephant menace, locals may come to the streets anytime, it was learnt.
PNN