*Sujit Chanda
Wild bull elephants went berserk and destroyed houses as well as crops of worth around Rs 10-12 lakh in Teliamura area in Tripura. One 95-year old person got injuries while trying escaping from the fury of elephants. The incident took place at Purba Para area under Madhya Krishnapur Panchayat in Teliamura sub-division on Saturday night.
“A group of elephants, mostly tuskers strode in the hamlet last night. Rampaging elephants ransacked the house of Babul Sarkar and damaged several ‘cable instruments’. Elephants also destroyed vegetable crops near my house”, Babul Sarkar.
Sarkar claimed that he had suffered a loss of worth more than Rs one lakh. Elephants did not spare chilli and sweet potato cultivation of Kinkar Das. “Wild elephants completely destroyed the cultivation in one kani cropland”, Das claimed.
The pachyderms also destroyed a huge number of rubber plants of plantations belonging to Sujit Biswas and Usha Ranjan Mallick. The victims claimed that they had suffered a loss of more than Rs 5 lakh. Besides, pachyderms also damaged dwellings of Harimohan Sarkar, Narayan Das and Sabita Sarkar.
“Considering the total quantum of damage, losses are expected to be around Rs 10-12 lakh”, local sources said.
Affected villagers alleged, they had informed Forest department personnel, however, he the personnel reached the spot after around one-and-half hours.
“The Forest department personnel came with few packets of crackers and once the crackers were exhausted, they returned to their office leaving the villagers at the mercy of elephants’, villagers alleged and added, they had urged the Forest department personnel to set up a makeshift camp to stop elephants from entering into the village – however, all pleas fell into deaf ears.
Villagers further said that Forest Minister Mebar Kumar Jamatia also promised to set up makeshift camps for the safety of villagers – but it did not materialize.
Venting anger at the ‘inefficacy’ of the forest department, villagers said elephant menace has become a common concern for people living in North Krishnapur, Madhya Krishnapur, South Krishnapur, Chanmplai, Baluchhara, Bhumiheen Colony and Rupali Basti under Teliamura sub-division.
In view of unabated elephant attacks, fearful villagers demanded immediate actions like driving out wild jumbo tuskers by domesticated elephants. “In 2002, domestic elephants were used to drive out the wild elephants – after this, several years we lived in peace”, villagers said.
*Sujit Chanda may be contacted with sujitchandatlm@gmail.com