A farrmer was killed by wild elephants in Parusarampuram village of Komarada mandal of Vizianagaram district in the early hours of Friday.
The farmer, Raghumanda Lakshminaidu, 50, had gone to the fields, unaware of the presence of the elephants nearby. The elephants attacked him and and he was killed on the spot. With the directive from Vizianagaram Collector M. Hari Jawaharlal, the forest officials rushed to the spot and assured to extend financial assistance to the family of the deceased.
So far, six persons have been killed by elephants in Vizianagaram district alone. In spite of having many coordination meetings, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha governments could not find a permanent solution to the problem of elephants. Vizianagaram district has some forest area on the border. The four elephants are moving in tribal habitations of Komarada, Jiyyammavalasa and other places.
The farmers are also unhappy with the forest department with the delay in payment of compensation for the crops damaged by elephants. The forest officials said that they were not getting damage assessment reports quickly from revenue department and it was the reason for the delay in payments.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Pamula Pushpa Srivani assured to extend help to the Lakshminaidu family while trying to find out a permanent solution to the problem.
