Neelesh Kshirsagar, Collector of Chhattisgarh's Gariaband district, on Thursday said efforts were on to reduce the human-elephant conflict and villagers were made being aware of the situation by 'Hathi Mitra Dal'.Kshirsagar was addressing a function organized at Mainpur in the district to mark the occasion of World Elephant Day. The day is observed to conserve the elephants. “Prior alert is given to the villagers to be cautious of possible attacks by elephants as their arrival is marked,” the official said. District Forest Officer (DFO) Mayank Agrawal said a herd of 34 elephants frequently arrives in the district from Odisha. If the elephants smell ‘mahua’ in any dwelling, they attack, he said, adding that mahua shouldn’t be stored in the villages which are prone to elephant attacks.
In 40 villages of the district, sirens have been installed to alert the villagers about arrival of the elephants.