Sambalpur: Increasing elephant menace and demands for compensation to victims has become a headache for the forest administration, although a lot of compensations had already been given to the affected people. Uneven distribution of relief also causes resentment among victims.
There are separate wildlife forest divisions to look after the safety and security of wildlife. They have been entrusted with the responsibility of reducing man-animal conflicts by creating awareness among people to be friendly towards wildlife.
They also have to see wildlife from the forest should stay away from human habitation. The Forest Department is trying its best to maintain the physical gap between man and animal.
Despite all this, reports pour in almost every week about elephants straying into villages in search of food and water. It is an established fact that there is paucity of food and drinking water for elephants in the forest that compel them to head towards nearby villages.
Elephant intrusions are common not only in Sambalpur forest division but also in Jharsuguda, Deogarh, Bamra, Hirakud and Bargarh. The animals destroy farmers’ standing crops and damage their houses. Sometimes, they kill human beings and their livestock.
Elephant intrusions have caused damage to 523 houses, destroyed standing crops on 7273 acres in all the six forest divisions. Affected people make a hue and cry demanding due compensation for their loss. They approach the block office first and then the district headquarters. But compensations are given only in a few cases, so victims’ resentment is obvious.
Mahulmunda, Kaliadihi, Budkamal, Dumelmunda, Kalyandihi, Mahuldihi, Garposh, Purei and Toteibahal villages under Bamra block in Sambalpur district often face elephant attacks but the affected people have hardly been compensated so far.
Similarly, Chadchadi village in Jamjuri gram panchayat (GP), Dahimal village in Ghosramal GP, Kutasinga village in Batgaon GP under Naktideul block in the district are also often facing elephant intrusions but the victims are still waiting for their due compensations there.
Sources from Sambalpur forest division disclosed that Rs 36,67,925 has already been given to victims of elephant attacks, but there are more such people waiting for their compensation.
As per the available government figures, compensation is given twice, Rs 23,36,720 and Rs 8,91,440 to the affected people in Bargarh forest division during 2017-18. Similarly, a sum of Rs 4, 39,765 is given as compensation to affected villagers in Bamra wildlife forest division during 2017-18. There is also a pending demand of Rs 24, 52,020 as additional compensation in Redhakhol forest division.
Compensation to the affected people could be seen as a type of appeasement to people to remain friendly towards elephants, even though they play havoc in villages. PNN
