Man-animal conflict seems to be a never ending tale in Sundargarh district as six people were injured in an elephant attack and as many houses were damaged by a herd three days ago.
The local forest officials with the help of a 12-member expert team of Jharkhand and 50 villagers of Riun, lahanda and Kacharu, who have certain experience in driving away the elephants, had launched ‘Operation Gajaraj’ on Saturday night to drive away the herd to dense forest of Saranda from Bisra Munda stadium, where 11 elephants were confined from Saturday morning after they entered into the Rourkela city.
According to the latest report, the herd after being chases away, again come back from the forest and roaming in Durgapur Hill near Kantajhar (NIT back post) under Bondamunda reserve forest area. The local villagers were scary since Saturday night.
Even apprehending their move into the city, the denizens of the Steel City were in a state of panic. The Kantajhar villagers have kept a close eye on the moment of the herd and are guarding the hill. The forest officials have also rushed to the spot and are planning to conduct another operation on Sunday night to drive away the herd to the Saranda jungle.
Sources revealed due to the Maoist menace, the forest officials preferred to leave the herd at the border line of the forest without driving the herd into the deep forest which is why the herd is getting back.
Notably, on June 30 night, an eleven-member elephant herd from Santoshpur reserve forest area, had entered into the Jaratolli village and were on rampage. The elephant herd initially destroyed the house of Birsa Tappo’s house. Birsa, his wife Bodhan and their two daughters Kusumi ((8), Guindi (6), who were sleeping in their house, were attacked and left injured by the elephants. The elephants, besides damaging their asbestos-roof house, ate paddy and rice available inside the house. Similarly, the elephant herd moved to the neighbouring villages. Rupan Kerketa (60), a native of Bijadihi village, was critically injured when an elephant thrust its tusk on her belly.
After receiving the complaint of the locals, a team of forest officials had reached at the spot and had attempted to drive away the elephant herd from human habitation. The same elephant herd was on rampage in Kacharu and Tangarani village on Monday night and damaged as many as four houses. One Paulus Kujur (50), a native of Kacharu village was injured in elephant attack and narrowly escaped from being crushed. Significantly, the elephant herd had entered the Steel City and damaged at least three houses in RS Colony near Bartoli of Bondamunda behind NIT Rourkela campus on Thursday night. The elephants were camping in Bondamunda reserve forest area. While they were cordoned off to drive them towards the direction of dense forest, they took a U-turn and moved towards Rourkela city on the wee hours of Saturday. Having no other way, the forest officials managed to confine them in the Birsa Munda Stadium and with this a big damage could be averted.