ANGUL: Tragedy struck again in the Bantala Range of Angul forest division as a lone tusker claimed the life of a 60-year-old Bhabagrahi Jena of Basala village. The incident occurred when Jena ventured into the nearby jungle in the morning to relieve himself. He encountered the lone tusker which attacked Jena leading to his death.
Angry over the mishap, villagers blocked the Angul-Basala road, demanding immediate action from the Forest department to guard the elephants in the Bantala range. The strike was called off after forest officials assured the villagers that steps would be taken to deter the elephants. The villagers demanded compensation for the victims’ families and the installation of solar fencing around the village to deter elephant incursions.
Bantala ranger Niladri Sahoo confirmed the incident and reported that the body of the deceased has been sent for post-mortem. An amount of Rs 40,000 was provided to the family, he added. The Bantala forest range has witnessed 15 human fatalities caused by elephants. Taking note of this, the government had sanctioned Rs 4.65 crores for the range of solar fencing and other preventive measures. However, the utilisation of these funds has not shown on the ground.