latehar DFO Mamta Priyadarshi is sanguine the herd of jumbos numbering 20 will soon be on its way back home from her district to lawalong sanctuary in another 48 to 72 hours time. She said, “We expect this to be driven out. The herd has caused extensive damage to household property. But there is no loss of life. I am determined the herd does not cause any casualty.”
Sources said a dozen houses in the district of latehar have been damaged, some wholly and some partially rendering about 100 people roofless now. The coming two to three days are more tense filled as if this herd enters PTR then its driving out will not be any easy task, said sources.
“The herd is to be dispatched back to lawalong and sending it from PTR will be quite a long and time taking affair as house density falling enroute is much higher than if it is sent back from Manika Panki border, where it is right now on Saturday,” said DFO latehar. Mamta Priyadarshi told The Pioneer on Saturday that a team has come from Silli and this team has all the expertise to drive out the jumbos. There are 14 people in it. The team is working on the drive mission.
It is the movement of the herd that has put the DFO latehar on a live wire. lack of water has forced this herd to take a detour. She said this herd is right now in Manika from where it may go to Panki and then enter Palamu tiger reserve. The lady DFO said non-availability of water has been spurring this herd to reach those areas, which are not a dry zone and hence, fears are high of its entering the Palamu tiger reserve.
What if this herd enters Palamu tiger reserve to which DFO Core P Anand of the PTR said “Tabahee much jayega. Yahan to yeh haathi musibat paida kar deyga. Admi ka takrana hathi sey ho hi jayega.”
Sources said in PTR elephants' taking toll of human lives has been an annual feature. And if this aggressive band of 20 elephants reaches here one can imagine the scene said a tiger tracker in National Park Betla.
The DFO latehar Mamta Priyadarshi has, however, ruled out any outbreak of hostility or conflict between man and this herd of elephant. This herd has left behind a train of destruction and decay. Sources said in the last 20 years, there had come one incident when the elephants had demolished the boundary wall of the official house of the DFO latehar right in latehar town.