MANOJ SINHA
Ramgarh, Jan 24: The attack of wild elephants in the Gola block area has been ongoing for several months. Every day, elephants damage a large number of houses in remote villages.
Elephants demolished the house and boundary wall in the hamlet Sutharpur Ghatwar Tola of Upbarga, the home panchayat of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, in the Barlanga police station area of Gola block, on the intervening night of Sunday-Monday causing severe agricultural damage.
Villagers said, “Chandra Mohan Singh’s house was demolished in village Sutharpur of police station area. The boundary walls of Lakhikant Mahato and Umesh Mahato were also demolished in Upbarga. The elephants entered farmer Sudhir Das’s field and ate Rahad. The mango plants have also been destroyed. The crops in the fields of a dozen farmers have been trampled by elephants with their feet and ruined.”
Elephants continue to enter several villages in the police station area as soon as evening falls in the area. As a result, the locals are terrified. They confine themeselves to their homes as soon as the sun sets.
The locals have asked the Forest Department for financial assistance to compensate them for the devastation caused by the herd of wild elephants to their homes and crops. Wild elephants are wreaking havoc in the area on a daily basis. As a result, the locals have a lot of resentment for the forest department.
