Bantala: Farmers of seven panchayats coming under Satkosia sanctuary in Angul district continue to face crop damage owing to wild animals even after spending sleepless nights atop makeshift watchtowers- locally known as ‘manchaa’. If that was not all, man-animal conflict often proves fatal for these villagers.
In absence of a permanent solution to these issues, resentment is brewing among the farmers here.
There was a time when farmers of Tikarpada, Purunakote, Jagannathpur, Balang, Tainsi, Antulia and Kothabhuin panchayats used to grow paddy, green gram, black gram, groundnuts, pigeon pea, sweet potato etc in their farmlands. Now they have considerably reduced the area of their cultivation. Asked about the reason, they speak about the crop loss they face owing to the frequent forage of wild animals such as elephants and wild boars.
The villagers say they are left with no other choice but to reduce the area of cultivation since it is difficult for them to keep a watch on their crops. They have also built watchtowers on their fields from there they a watch on their crops all night long.
These ‘manchaas’ are nothing but a structure of few bamboo or wooden poles with a thatched roof above. And spending nights atop these rickety platforms is always a risky affair, they say.
Whenever they feel a herd of elephants coming towards their fields, they usually drive them away by showing them flambeau and firing crackers the forest department has given to them. During day time, they beat tin drums to keep them away from their crops.
Farmers of Hatibari village in Tikarpada panchayat have constructed 30 watchtowers to protect their crops. Similarly, the numbers of watchtowers in Tikarpada village, Beherasahi village, Kataranga village, Kushakhali village and Karadapada village are 15, 30, 35, 10 and 25 respectively. Farmers of Purunakote village have erected 35 watchtowers. There are 12 watchtowers in Gopalpur village, 25 in Chhotakei village, 30 in Tuluka village, 20 in Salar village, 32 in Bhrukundi village and 13 in Badakheta village. In Jagannathpur panchayat, there are 134 watchtowers in total out of which 25 are in Jagannathpur village, 20 in Brutti village, 32 in Takarisingha, 10 in Hinsirida, 25 in Kulangi, 20 in Tarabha and 24 in Ashanbahal. Farmers in Tainsi, Kothabhuin, Antulia and Balang panchayats have put up 141, 123, 117 and 120 such raised platforms on bamboo poles to save their crops from the wild animals.
According to Minati Sahu and Somnath Gadatia, two farmers of Hatibari village, they have been watching their crops from their watchtowers for 45 days now. Yet, they are not able to protect their crops fully. Wild boars and elephants continue to damage their crops intermittently.
The farmers alleged that the forest department is giving them a paltry sum for the crop loss caused by wild animals which is too meagre an amount to recoup their losses. They have asked the administration to establish a proper operating procedure based on which adequate compensation can be issued proportionate to the loss.
Besides, for loss of human lives in man-animal conflicts, the villagers have asked the forest department to conduct a proper inquiry, give a compensation of Rs 10 lakh and offer employment to one member of the family of the deceased. Besides, they have also suggested the administration to dig trenches around the affected villages to keep wild animals at bay.
PNN