A tusker, which had created panic and damaged a number of houses in
Hemgiri forest range keeping the villagers of about five panchayats
in a state of panic since December last, was driven away.
A squad comprising 45 forest officials of Sundargarh forest division
chased away the tusker and left it at Koilaga forest fringe on Friday
night in Brajrajnagar area. The pachyderm had created panic in
Brajrajnagar forest range and Belpahar forest range in Jharsuguda
forest division as well. Brajrajnagar forest range officials are now
on the job to drive away the tusker since it is now in their area.
The tusker from Chhattisgarh forest area had entered into Hemgiri
forest range in Sundargarh forest division on December 21. It ate
crops, vegetables and damaged as many as 11 houses in about 40
villages under five panchayats. Sundargarh forest division officials
had driven away the tusker to Belpahar forest range area but since
that tusker had damaged crops and a number of houses and had killed
two persons there, that tusker had been driven away. Finally it
reappeared in Hemgiri forest range and was on a damage spree.
On February 27, irate villagers had locked forest range officer
Habiram Choudhury along with two other staffs in his office room in
protest against apathy to drive away the tusker.
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