BARIPADA: Residents of Betnoti and Baisinga in Baripada forest division of Mayurbhanj district are living in fear for the last five days after two elephant herds entered human settlements and damaged property.
While one of the herds has nine elephants including two tuskers, four females and three calves, the second has eight jumbos including a tusker, four females and three calves. The herds strayed into human settlements from Similipal forest and have been roaming in the division for the last five days. Rajat Singh of Mantapal village said the elephants that entered the villages in search of food, have also damaged houses in the area.
The elephants are also damaging harvested paddy affecting farmers. The Forest department should at least compensate for damage to property caused by the jumbos, he said, adding farmers of Betnoti, Baisinga, Morada and Rasgovindpur are suffering for the last five to seven years due to their crops which are often damaged by the elephants.
A forest officer said the herds have damaged at least seven houses, five in Agada village and two in Nuagaon. This apart, a house in Durgapur under Neda gram panchayat in Baisinga has been partially damaged by the herds.
The herd comprising nine elephants is roaming in Badampur reserve forest and the other is in Sukhilakhali forest. While the Forest department is keeping a watch on the herds, it has asked the affected residents to upload the photographs of their damaged houses and other documents in ‘Anukampa’ app for availing compensation.