ROURKELA: Vehicular traffic was disrupted for several hours on Saturday after an old tusker appeared on State Highway-10 at Mandiakudar, around 20 km from Rourkela.
On being informed, members of the elephant squad under the Rajgangpur range of Rourkela forest division and Rajgangpur police reached the spot but reportedly faced a tough time in managing the situation as locals, on seeing the jumbo, were creating nuisance in the area. Ignoring warnings to stay away, some people were even seen trying to scare the tusker.
Till last reports came in at around 9 pm, the jumbo was present at a plantation area near the SH-10 with members of the elephant squad under the Rajgangpur forest range unsuccessfully trying to guide it to the nearby forest.
Rourkela assistant conservator of forests (ACF) Sujit Sahu said the elephant frequently appears on the highway. “We have been using public address system to caution the commuters and local people to stay at a safe distance,” he said.
Sahu said for over five hours, they had been trying to drive the elephant away, but it kept returning to the road. “It is an old tusker. The pachyderm has been roaming in the Mandiakudar and nearby pockets for the past over one month. Local villagers even offer it food,” he added.