BALASORE: The Balasore district administration has started distributing cooked food to people whose houses have been destroyed by wild elephants in Nilagiri area of Balasore district. Over 500 persons, mostly tribals, have taken shelter in temporary relief camps after they were left homeless. The free kitchen will continue for seven days.
District Collector Manish Kumar Verma said the forest and police officials are trying to drive out the animals. A two-member expert team from Bhubaneswar has reached here to guide the forest officials in the task. The 65-member elephant herd, which had divided into two groups earlier, has now reunited and concentrated inside Tinikosia forest.
As per preliminary assessment, as many as 117 houses have been destroyed and 539 persons left homeless. “Electricity is being disconnected in the affected villages during night. We have asked people to smear their houses with cow dung to keep the herd at bay. The drive was started in a more organised way today,” said DFO Kedar Swain.