Crocodile fear grips two blocks in Odisha's Jajpur

JAJPUR:  Panic gripped several villages of Jajpur and Dasarathpur blocks after crocodiles were reportedly spotted in floodwater. Residents of Dharampur village in Dasarathpur claimed that two crocodiles were spotted in the swollen Kani river on Wednesday. As floodwater has inundated many villages in the block, residents feared that the reptiles may enter human habitations and harm them. 

Similarly, a crocodile was sighted in the floodwater of Jamuna nullah, a branch of Budha river, near Namtikari village of Malandapur panchayat in Jajpur block on Thursday afternoon. Panicked villagers demanded immediate steps to capture the reptiles. 

Sources said forest officials have reached the villages where the crocodiles were spotted and initiated steps to trace the reptiles. Meanwhile, the flood situation in Dasarathpur improved on Thursday after water started receding in several villages. As per a preliminary assessment of the district administration, over 2,5000 people of 35 villages in the block have been affected by floods in Kani river.