Wild elephants kill man, Forest Dept promises compensation

A 45-year-old man was killed by wild elephants at Oppo village under Patamda police station in the wee hours of Friday. The victim was identified as Buddheshwar Singh, a resident of  Jarka Tola in Oppo village.

Singh was keeping a vigil over his farm with a torch when he saw the herd. He tried to run but fell down and was trampled to death by the tuskers .

As the news spread Kanderbera forester Prakash Chandra and his Bhadodih counterpart Tapan Kumar Mahto , reached the spot . The police have sent the body to MGM Medical College for post-mortem.

Dalma Range Officer R.P. Singh, informed that the forest department has paid Rs 25,000 to the victim’s wife Shanthi Bala for meeting funeral expenses. “A further Rs 3.75 lakh will be paid after paper work is completed. Compensation of Rs 4 lakh is given to victims of elephants attack.”

Sources informed that three separate herds of about 40 elephants were stationed in Patamda and forest authorities had issued an alert. The Dalma range office in Mango, Jamshedpur had also distributed  crackers and torches (mashals) among the villagers.

A villager said that the forest department officials are also not doing enough to ensure for the safety and security of the villagers' life in the face. "We are not being provided with torchlight or any other materials which are generally supplied by the forest department when an elephant menace crops up at any human habitat," he said.

He said that rampaging elephants are a cause of concern. Some measures have been adopted and there is need to do more to protect the people. The farmers have been asked to inform the nearest range office in case of crop raiding so that special teams will be deputed to drive the elephants into the deep jungle.