PALASBARI: A 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.
Villagers told this correspondent that the elephant herd now passes through the roads in the area even during the daytime. People are scared to use the roads for fear of getting trampled by the elephants. The villagers had contacted the forest personnel of Mirza and Lohaghat Forest Range offices but till date no concrete action has been taken by the forest department to chase away the herd.
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