BIHALI: Wild elephants coming out of the nearby forest areas have wreaked havoc and triggered fear among the people of the Bihali region of Biswanath. They often damage the crops of the region as well as cause damage to life and property including valuable trees planted by the local people.
In the most recent incident, a herd of wild elephants that came out of the Kaziranga National Park reached the locality at about 1:30 AM on Friday. They destroyed a few houses located in the Bahbari Pathar locality of the Behali region of the state. They destroyed the residences of Amar Bahadur Mirza, Nur Bahadur Ruchal and Bhagirath Biswakarma making all the families homeless.
Although a team from Borgaon Forest Department arrived later and managed to chase away the herd back into the forest, the people were still residing in fear of further attacks by wild elephants. The local people alleged that the government has on one hand evicted the farmers and cattle herders from the North bank of the Brahmaputra, and on the other, the wild elephants, tigers, and rhinos from the reserve forest continue to damage the crops and property of the farmers. They demanded that the government take immediate action to put an electric fence in place so that the animals of the park do not cause any harm to the life and property of the people of the region.
A different herd of wild elephants has been wreaking havoc in the Rangamati-Batiyapara area near Mirza township for the last 1-2 years and panic has gripped the people. Sources said that the herd of wild elephants, - 6-7 in number- has been taking refuge in the Dhudhkuwori hill near Rangamati village for the last 1-2 years and the herd comes down to the nearby villages in search of food. Sources said that the herd has been destroying the paddy fields. Several plots of paddy saplings have already been wiped out. The herd has been venturing to the houses and human habitations of the families of Nilopara, Bakrapara, Rampara, Malipara, Kalitapara etc. in Baranti- Rangamati Gaon Panchayat area under Palasbari LAC in the Kamrup district and the herd has been eating up the sugarcane and banana gardens. The herd has even damaged houses in search of rice and other food grains.
Also Watch: