ERODE: Residents of Kadambur have appealed to the forest department to capture and relocate the elephant which killed two persons on Sunday. Also, they have requested the government to lay proper and clear bushes and increase the visibility of the hillside.
"People in the hilly villages in Kadambur forest range face threats from elephants all the time. Two persons from Gundri village were killed by a lone elephant on Sunday. The incident occurred when the elephant suddenly emerged from a bush and attacked the victims who were riding two-wheelers," said C Sathish, a social activist of Kadambur.
"The same elephant had killed a person from the village earlier. To prevent such incidents, the government must build proper roads and clear bushes from both sides of the roads. If there are no bushes, people travelling on the road will have a clear view of the terrain and spot elephants or other animals from a distance. The distance between Gundri and Makkampalayam villages is 6 km, but we have roads only for two km." he added.
Krishnan, a resident of Gundri said people are in panic after Sunday's incidents. "People of Gundri and nearby villages are in fear. The elephant that killed people should be caught and released elsewhere," he said. Kadambur forest ranger Indumathi said, "A special team has been formed to monitor the elephant. If the particular elephant is found to have caused the previous deaths, action will be taken to capture it. The work of removing bushes from roadsides will start in a couple of days."
Sources added that an initial solatium of Rs 50,000 has been given to each of the two families of the deceased. The remaining Rs 4.5 lakh will be disbursed soon.