Athagarh: A herd of wild elephants have left the people of Athagarh area in a state of panic and adversely affected the road communication by frequently obstructing National Highways and Railway tracks.
Gurudijhatia Matsyapur Railway track and National Highway near Bali were brought to a jumbo halt as a herd of pachyderms were found crossing the road dangerously.
“The herd of elephants often cross the railway tracks dangerously even in front of moving train, putting their and passengers’ lives at stake,” a local resident said.
According to reports, the pachyderms were wrecking havoc in the area for a long time giving a sleepless night to the local residents as well as the officials of Athagarh Forest Division.
The herd of the elephants of several age groups strayed into the residential area from the Chandaka sanctuary. They destroyed paddy crop in several acres of land during the harvest time leaving the farmers of the area distressed.
“We have complained about elephant menace to the forest officials several times, but they seem to be indifferent towards our plight,” a local resident alleged.
(Edited by Ramakant Jena)