Wild Elephant Menace in Rani Area Along the Assam–Meghalaya Border

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The villagers of Rani area along the Assam–Meghalaya border in Kamrup district are passing sleepless nights on account of havoc let loose by wild elephants in the area for over a month now. While the area is primarily an agricultural area, crops in the fields are presently being consumed by wild elephants.

Farmers of the area like Dinesh Nathg, Prabin Das, Sabin Rabha, Bikash Das, Giridhar Das among others have said that over the last one month three wild elephants are letting loose havoc by way of destroying their cropland.

The villages mainly affected are Moirapur-Patanagh, Paathalodhia, Maajpara, Posrojowa, Makikpur, Belguri, Udaipur, Puran Sukurboria, Nalapara, to name a few. As per the version of the farmers, the three elephants enter these areas at different times and destroy crop land and paddy fields.

The farmers have also informed that the forest regional authority of the Rani area has been apprised of the elephant menace, adding that the department has not initiated any measure to keep the wild elephant beyond the limits of human habitation. With the forest department doing nothing to drive away the elephants, the villagers are being compelled to erect tongi ghar (a raised platform) to guard the fields and drive away wild elephants round the clock.

Meanwhile, the villagers have informed local MLA Ramendra Kalita about the destruction of cropland by wild elephants every year and have appealed to him to initiate needful measures to protect cropland and property of the villagers of the area from being destroyed by wild elephants.