VISHVENDU JAIPURIAR
Hazaribag, Nov 6: A herd of 23 elephants have unleashed a reign of terror in different areas of Barkagaon in the last fifteen days and has been damaging houses and standing crops. Villagers have requested the forest department to take immediate action to chase this herd back into the forest.
Villagers said that the herd has sparked fear among villagers of Indra, Pasaria and Isco villages. In Pasaria, elephants have damaged six houses in the last week. Villager Upendra Mahto said that the elephants damaged several acres of standing crops and so far he has had to suffer huge losses. “We want the forest department to chase the herd away from here,” he demanded.
Villagers Dr Parasnath Mahto and Ketar Mahto said that the villagers live continuously in fear and that they have made marshals and are forced to pass sleepless nights. “We kept this mashal to use after getting information about elephants entering the village,” they said.
They further said that they want a permanent solution to the problem. They said that every year the visits from the elephants have become more frequent as the years have passed.
Meanwhile, the forest department officials have said that they are keeping eye on this herd and will soon chase them into the forest. They claim to have also educated villagers to disturb the elephants or to go close to them.
