Patana: Elephant menace has returned to haunt villages in the beat area of Patna Forest Range in Keonjhar district after a herd of 22 elephant from Karanjia Forest Range went on a rampage and destroyed crops in the wee hours of Sunday, locals said.
The paddy crop rampage by the pachyderms comes after Cyclone Amphan had ravaged the farmland last year. The Forest Department meanwhile has been accused of failing to keep the animals at bay. This has led to discontent among the locals.
The farmers said that Cyclone Amphan extensively damaged their crops, and on top of that elephants damaged whatever was left.
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For the last two days animals have been damaging crops at villages like Binida, Balipasi and Mangalpur, and farmers are spending sleepless nights trying to drive them away. The farmers fear that if the elephant menace is not checked they will have to give up farming.
According to the forest officials, the elephants had made their way from Karangia forest range to Patna forest range in search of food. The forest officials now are now taking steps to drive the elephants away from the local settlements.
The forest officials assured the villagers for compensation for the damage caused.
Worthy to note, the frequent intrusions by the pachyderms to the farmlands have robbed the farmers of their sleep. Crops in large tracts of farmlands were destroyed by the elephants in the above three villages. This situation has led to widespread panic among the villagers.
PNN
