Odisha: Jharkhand Jumbos Giving Sleepless Nights To Balasore Residents

Balasore: The human-elephant conflict seems to have taken a heavy toll at Gandarda Grama Panchayat in the district. A herd of over 30 elephants has been wreaking havoc in the area as locals continue to witness destruction of crops in acres of lands.

The helpless villagers alleged negligence by forest officials in driving away the wild animals and warned of agitation.

According to sources, the group of pachyderms from Jharkhand are staying at Khiripada forest in Mayurbhanj district during the daytime and venturing into Gandarda area at night.

As the marauding animals are destroying paddy fields and vegetable farming in the area, local residents are having a tough time keeping their farm lands safe.

“A herd of around 30 elephants are damaging our crops during night and going back to the forests in the wee hours. The forest officials have done nothing to drive away the elephants,” said Brundaban Giri, a farmer.

“We were expecting a good harvest during the winter. However, the elephants have destroyed everything,” said Giri.

The villagers also blamed the forest officials for their lackadaisical attitude in diverting the movement of the elephants.

“Both Balasore and Mayurbhanj forest divisions have no coordination among themselves and the cause of jumbo menace could be attributed to their neglect. The villagers will stage protests if immediate steps are not taken to drive away the wild animals from the area,” said Sarpanch  of the GP, Gajendra Sethy.

(Edited by Suryakant Jena)