For the past one week pachyderms have been raiding farms in the Satra Acre area of Bindukhatta.
On Thursday night the more than a dozen elephants destroyed rice and sugarcane crop of more than 10 farmers. Apart from the jumbo menace, the villagers are also scared of a leopard which has reportedly preyed on domestic animals in the area. The villagers have now sought financial compensation from the Forest Department.
On Thursday night, more than a dozen elephants from the Tanda forest range of Bindukhatta area cross the national highway and railway line and reached Satra Acre area around midnight. The pachyderms first trampled the rice crop in the farm of Dilip Singh Koranga. The land owner raised the alarm which brought other villagers to the site. The people made noise and somehow managed to scare the jumbos away from the site.
From here the elephants raided the farm of Kirti Vallabh lohni and destroyed the crop there after which the raided the rice and sugarcane fields of various farmers. The locals managed to scare the jumbos away only at about half past one. The locals are scared of the elephants and the destruction of crops by the animals.
Apart from seeking financial compensation from the Forest Department, the villagers have also demanded that a cage be placed in the area to trap a big cat which they say has preyed upon many domesticated animals in the village.