Jadugora villagers accuse forest officials of slackness

Mail News Service

Jadugora, Dec 16: Jadugora villagers have accused the local forest officials of continuing to show negligence in dealing with the menace of wild elephants wreaking havoc in the area. They alleged that the security measures purportedly taken by the forest department was a mere eyewash.

“The herd of elephants gets down from the hill everyday and eats up the crops before returning at night. Unfortunately the forest department does not get a whiff of the herd’s whereabouts and activities. It seems the security measures announced by them are just a formality which exists only on paper,” said Kushal Soren, a local social worker.

Sudhan Chandra Soren, another local resident, said the villagers had eaten up the paddy crop of several villagers of Bhatin village despite nightlong patrolling yesterday.

According to forest department sources, 10 packets of firecrackers, 50 litres of lubricant oil and 20 fire torches have been brought from Ghatsila for distribution among the villagers. They said the route of elephants had been surveyed after their recent entry into the residential patches of Jadugora. Efforts are being taken to divert the elephants away from the area so that crops and human lives are not endangered.