People residing in the rural areas, mostly in the hillocks and forest areas are forced to spend sleepless nights as the elephant menace is on the rise in these regions of the district.
Herds of elephant entered into several villages and stir up violence; their terror is still continued. Last night the rowdy tuskers ransacked several houses, boundary walls and destroyed crops, engulfed food grains stored in the homes in Keri village, Roli village, Bhitia, Kusumdih, Dudhmatia, Barki Punnu, Pachmo, Lodhi, Pejua, Tillaya, Chorgawa, Murpa and Khakhanda village under Gomia block of the district. The rampage elephants also destroyed crops and ransacked houses in several villages situated in the hilly terrain of the district in the past few days.
Kartik Hansda, a resident of Tikahara village said, last night a herd of the rampage jumbos ransacked the house and boundary walls of Sohan Besera, Ramji Manjhi, Talo Devi, Prem Manji, Dhena Manhji, Bhatu Singh and destroyed standing crops in the fields. “The elephants also engulfed grains, which villagers have stored in their homes,” he added.
The herd has caused extensive damage to their crops and that this was a regular occurrence. “The elephants damaged our houses, broke our granaries and ate our paddy”, said Hemanti Devi, village head.
The shrinking forest and dried-up water resources forced elephants to raid the farmlands as well as villages. In search of water and food, the herd migrated from West Bengal to Bokaro and other districts in Jharkhand, said a forest official.