Elephants damage crop in Keonjhar, Bolangir

BHUBANESWAR: Elephants have wreaked havoc in different places of the state. Herds of pachyderms have damaged crop in Keonjhar and Bolangir districts on Monday and trampled a man to death in Rourkela on Sunday night. According to reports, more than 50 elephants have entered into Champua forest range in Keonjhar district and destroyed paddy crop in the villages of Patala, Rajia, Sunapasi and Jamudalak during last two days.
"Two herds of elephants have destroyed my crop. We are trying to drive the animals away from our paddy field," said Madhusudan Naik, a farmer. Official sources said three teams of forest guards led by officials were formed to drive the jumbos away from the village areas. Similarly, more than 20 jumbos have damaged crop in Patnagarh area of Bolangir district. Farmers alleged that the elephants have destroyed over 40 hectares of paddy field on Monday at Damkipalli village.
"The jumbos stay in the jungle near our village and enter into their field during nighttime. The elephants are not leaving our village and damage our crop," said Biseswari Bariha of Damkipalli. In Rourkela, elephants trampled a 54-year-old man of Sundergarh district to death in Jharkhand area on Sunday night. The man, Ramshab Ganju, of Patab village under Hatibari police limits in the district, had gone to Parva in Jharkhanda for some work. Forest officials of Jharkhand recovered his body and sent for post mortem, said J K Mohanty, assistant conservator of forests, Rourkela Forest Division.