JAIPUR: Panic gripped workers after a bear strayed into the premises of Visa Steel plant in Kalinga Nagar Industrial Complex here on Wednesday.Sources said the bear entered inside the sponge iron plant from nearby Badasuli hill after local residents tried to chase it away after spotting it in the morning.
The animal was first found roaming on the road by locals. “We spotted the bear near our village in the wee hours of the morning. Villagers tried to chase away the animal by burning tyres,” said Laxman Das of Pankapal village.
In a bid to protect itself, the bear crossed over the low boundary wall of the plant. The animal hid itself in the bushes at an isolated place on the plant premises.Chiranjib Agarwal, an official of Visa Steel, said, “Workers informed us about the bear hiding inside the plant premises at about 10 am. We immediately passed on the information to local forest and police officials who reached the plant immediately.”
Though the incident triggered panic among workers, plant operation was not affected. “Operations in the plant was normal,” Agarwal added.
Forest officials from Tamaka, Jajpur Road and Bayree ranges along with local police rushed to the plant and swung into action to capture the animal. A massive operation has been launched by laying traps at various places inside the plant premises to capture the bear, said senior officials.The Forest department has also requisitioned an expert team from Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar to capture the bear. Search operations were still underway till reports last came in.