Jumbo raids: Villagers detain forest staff in Odisha

BARIPADA:  Irked over damage caused by a herd of 27 elephants that entered human settlements, residents of around 10 villages detained 11 forest personnel of Dudhiani range under Karanjia division in Mayurbhanj district on Wednesday. 

The herd, after entering the area on Tuesday night damaged five houses in Puruna Deo Gaon and Haldia village.  The locals said they had called the Forest department office urging them to drive out the herd from the area in Puruna Deo Gaon village. But even as the elephants kept on damaging houses, the forest personnel did not respond, they alleged. 

The disgruntled villagers pulled a vehicle of the department to their village with a rope without officials knowledge. When forester Faguram Besra along with 10 contractual staff reached the village looking for the vehicle, they were detained by the locals who protested and demanded compensation for the damage caused by the herd. They alleged the Forest department is yet to compensate for damage caused by the elephants in the last couple of years. 

The villagers further stated that the ‘Anukampa’ app, meant for easing the process of compensating people for damage of property by  animals, is not functioning properly. This apart, several villagers do not have smartphones for uploading the required documents to the app.