BARIPADA: Residents of Rasgovindpur and Betnoti blocks in the Baripada forest division of Mayurbhanj district are living in fear as a herd of 32 elephants, originally from the Dalma forest in Jharkhand, have rampaged through the region, damaging hectares of standing paddy over a five-day period.
The elephants crossed borders, traversing Odisha-West Bengal, and intruded into Rasogvindpur and Betnoti ranges within the Baripada division, likely in search of food. The herd, at times splitting into smaller groups, wandered through forests and entered paddy fields, causing extensive damage.
Villagers, troubled by the elephants’ damaging spree on the paddy fields, are now taking measures to safeguard their homes, closing doors and entrances in the evening and spending sleepless nights. They expressed frustration alleging the inaction of the forest department to address the issue immediately.
“The insufficient financial assistance provided by the forest department as compensation for the damage to paddy and other property is unacceptable to us. The authorities are ignoring our pleas for adequate compensation and failing to take permanent measures to prevent such incidents,” alleged Raghu Singh and Dayanidhi Singh, villagers of Rasgovindpur.
Range officer Ghanashyam Singh confirmed the elephant herd’s presence in the said blocks, with at least three hectares of standing paddy reportedly damaged. “To deal with the issue, we have engaged 145 Gaja Sathis and 23 para staff are actively monitoring the herd’s movements round the clock. Presently, the herd is divided into two groups, roaming in Sarmula and Amarda forests under the Rasovindpur range,” he added.