A tusker, which had created panic and damaged a number of houses in Hemgiri forest range keeping the villagers of about five panchayats in a state of panic since December last, was driven away.
A squad comprising 45 forest officials of Sundargarh forest division chased away the tusker and left it at Koilaga forest fringe on Friday night in Brajrajnagar area. The pachyderm had created panic in Brajrajnagar forest range and Belpahar forest range in Jharsuguda forest division as well. Brajrajnagar forest range officials are now on the job to drive away the tusker since it is now in their area.
The tusker from Chhattisgarh forest area had entered into Hemgiri forest range in Sundargarh forest division on December 21. It ate crops, vegetables and damaged as many as 11 houses in about 40 villages under five panchayats. Sundargarh forest division officials had driven away the tusker to Belpahar forest range area but since that tusker had damaged crops and a number of houses and had killed two persons there, that tusker had been driven away. Finally it reappeared in Hemgiri forest range and was on a damage spree.
On February 27, irate villagers had locked forest range officer Habiram Choudhury along with two other staffs in his office room in protest against apathy to drive away the tusker.