Farmers fear elephant menace in Jharkhands Ramgarh District

With paddy crop being ready for harvest in Jharkhand, the farmers of Ramgarh District are a worried lot. They fear arrival of elephants from the nearby forests trespassing into the fields for food.

By Girija Shankar Ojha

Ranchi, Nov.2 : With paddy crop being ready for harvest in Jharkhand, the farmers of Ramgarh District are a worried lot. They fear arrival of elephants from the nearby forests trespassing into the fields for food.

At times, the elephants cause havoc. Farmers lament the loss of crops worth lakhs of rupees as rampaging elephants destroy the fruit of their hard work.

Many people have been trampled to death and dozens of houses destroyed by elephants in the villages lining the forest land in recent months. Villagers shirk from moving around freely.

"These elephants have become a real menace now. They kill our folk, they hurt us, damage our crops. In one incident where this elephant dragged a man out of his house and killed him. The government hardly do anything. They do compensate the families immediately after the event but that's it," Niranjan Singh, a local villager.

Forest officials, however, maintain that elephants harm only on provocation.

"For the past two years, there are four elephants which have been coming to the village. But they do not hurt anyone. I am happy to tell you that their number has increased to six. But these animals never hurt anyone," Satish Chandra Rai, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO).

During the season when paddy fields have standing crops, elephants attack villages and the surroundings to feast on the paddy.

Such incidences of man-animal encounter have increased over the past few months with forests areas fast depleting and animals looking for food stray into the human territory.

ANI