KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, May 5: A herd of wild tuskers caused heavy loss having strayed into a human habitat under Chandil block in the adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district on the intervening night of Friday.
The herd which consists of about two dozen elephants entered Kurla village late on Thursday night and was on a rampage till early this morning during which the tuskers damaged six thatched houses and destroyed paddy stocks as well as standing crops.
In the face of so big number of elephants in the village, the villagers were left with no option but to flee their homes and bunched up at a safe place in fear.
As the villagers were not prepared for such a sudden attack by the wild elephants, they kept on watching their houses being pulled down and property damaged in the moonlit night.
The hapless villagers returned to their razed houses after the herd of wild elephants left the village around 4 am today.
Those who suffered the most include Sukhram Majhi, Karma Majhi, Lakheswar Majhi, Baburam Majhi and Lakhinder Majhi.
The aggrieved villagers on Friday morning went over to the Chandil range office and demanded the forest deputy to drive away the herd of wild elephants from an adjoining forest patch where it has taken shelter.
The villagers have also demanded the forest department officials to provide them with things like crackers, drums and ‘mashals’ so that they may be able to drive the menacing elephants away from the village if the herd comes there once again.
“The forest department should keep a tab on the movement of the wild elephants and warn the villagers accordingly, besides providing us all the necessary items to drive the tuskers away. But the department seems not concerned about our predicament, ” maintained one of the villagers while talking to lagatar24.com.
