Post News Network
Keonjhar/Joda, Oct 2: A female elephant was electrocuted after it inadvertently came in contact with an 11KV transmission wire after hitting against a pole at Saradhapanka village under Champua forest range
in Keonjhar district in the wee hours Thursday.
The incident occurred when the pachyderm, aged about 15, was moving from Kankupali village towards Naibuga jungle crossing a road at Saradhapanka along with other members of its herd comprising 25 elephants. The other elephants escaped death by a whisker.
Alleging that use of substandard electricity poles for drawing wires led to the incident, forest officials warned of lodging a complaint against the executive engineer of Joda electrical division and junior engineer of Kurudi electrical section. Villagers held the forest and electricity departments equally responsible for the incident.
Hundreds of people who thronged the site expressed their resentment over the lackadaisical attitude of forest officials in saving them from elephant menace.
They alleged they are yet to receive adequate compensation for the loss of crops and properties caused by pachyderms and claimed the department was not providing them sufficient quantity of firecrackers, torches and other material to drive away elephants.
“We have been spending sleepless nights over the elephant menace but forest officials do not have any concern for us,” the villagers said. An elderly woman even tried to hit a forest official with a stick for their apathy, sources said.
Villagers claimed that the incident occurred as electricity officials have drawn the wire by installing cement poles which get uprooted at the slightest stroke. Sources said the herd had unleashed a reign of terror in the area destroying crops and damaging houses.
Nesco official Shyamsundar Nayak termed the incident as a mishap while Champua forest ranger Srirampada Arabinda Mishra warned of action against the errant power officials.