Champua: Even as a tusker wreaks havoc in Champua area of Keonjhar district for last three years killing people and damaging properties, the animal has become a headache for the forest department.
Locals claimed that the marauding tusker has killed nine persons in the area over last three years. The animal has been claiming one life after another but the forest department has not been able to control it, they lamented. A few months back, a herd of elephants went on a damaging spree. Forest officials had managed to chase them away, but their efforts to drive away the elusive tusker yielded no results.
They pointed out that the department forgets its duty after it provides the compensation to the bereaved families. It was learnt that the elephant had damaged houses of four persons in 2014-15; houses of 27 persons in 2015-16 and houses of 45 persons in 2016-17. The authorities provided Rs 1.74 crore as damages. The tusker had caused crop damage of 1113 persons between 2014 and 2017.
According to the department, the killer elephant had killed Sudura Naik in Patala village, Laxmidhar Giri in Chakulia, Purna Chandra Mohant and Abanti Mohant in Sitarampur in 2015 while several others like Goura Chandra Pradhan in Parsala, Sarandia Munda in Sanahundula, Pramananda Naik in Dolita, Benudhar Behera in Rajia and Kirtan Mohant in Jhaliabeda were killed in recent past.
Locals alleged that despite taking so many lives and damaging so many properties, the animal has not been driven out of the Champua range due to inefficacy of the forest department. It was learnt that the department has not been able to carry out elephant-driving exercise in the past as it does not have adequate staff and machinery to handle elephant menace. PNN
