JAJPUR: Irked over the Forest department’s failure to capture a tusker, which has been creating havoc for the last one week in Korei and Danagadi blocks, locals on Monday staged a road blockade at Military Chowk near Manpur village.
Vehicular traffic between Kalinga Nagar and Jajpur Road was disrupted for a couple of hours as the protestors burnt tyres and blocked the road with stones. They alleged that the forest officials are not taking adequate steps to chase the animal from the area.
"The tusker has trampled four persons to death in the area in last four days. Besides, the elephant has damaged a dozen houses and huge quantity of paddy. Residents of several villages in Korei and Danagadi blocks are in panic. But the Forest department is doing nothing to drive away the tusker," said Srujani Das, a local.
On being informed, Kalinganagar Additional SP Rajkishore Dora reached the spot and pacified the locals saying the elephant would be tranquilised by evening following which the road blockade was withdrawn.
This is the second such incident in just 24 hours.
On Sunday, locals and family members of a 15-year-old boy who was trampled to death by the tusker on Saturday night had staged a road blockade in front of Danagadi Community Health Centre.
Sources said the Forest department has deployed a drone camera to locate the tusker in Dhauligarh forest of Danagadi block. Besides, two teams of personnel, one from Baripada and the other from Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar, have been engaged to tranquilise the elephant.
The tusker has trampled four persons to death in the area in the last seven days. Besides, it has attacked 10 others leaving them injured. People of several villages of Korei, Danagadi and Sukinda blocks have been spending sleepless nights owing to the menace. The district administration on Friday had declared a holiday for all primary and high schools in Korei block and Vyasa Nagar urban area to ensure safety of locals.