A herd of wild elephants on Monday killed one person at Rangapara and intruded into Patanjali Mega Herbal Food Park near Assam Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) complex after destroying its boundary wall at Ghoramari in Assam’s Sonitpur district, official sources said.
The herd, which regularly comes out from Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary in Rangapara area, killed Vimsen Munda (50) at 18 number Namgaon division in Sesa Tea Estate and also destroyed the temporary houses there, the sources said. This is the second incident of wild pachyderms killing humans since the last three days when on Saturday a woman, Arsolata Karmakar (45), was trampled to death in Dhendai Tea Estate at number 9 line of the garden, the sources said.
Assistant Conservator of Forest West Sonitpur Division Jasim Ahmad told PTI that Forest Department officials visited Patanjali Park where the wild herd demolished its wall on the northern boundary which has been its regular path of movement. Ahmed said the Herbal Park authority have been asked to put up solar fencing attached with the boundary wall and plant iron posts there to prevent the mammoths from entering the park, besides instructing them to guard the area 24X7 with security personnel.
Non-lethal solar powered fence system for wild elephants and other wild animals produce a high voltage which act as an active deterrent, a psychological and physical barrier and a reliable protection system for human habitation. The Patanjali Park is a place where elephants that come from nearby areas in search of food take rest, Forest Department sources said.
Earlier on November 6 last year, the foundation stone of the Rs 1300 crore food park was laid by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in the pressence of Yoga guru Ramdev and other senior officials of his Patanjali Ayurved. A few days later on November 23, three wild elephants had fallen into open pits at the project site and and a mother elephant along with her calf had died.
After the incident, the Forest Department had filed a case against Patanjali Mega Herbal Food Park and hearing on the case was going on at Tezpur Court, Ahmad added.
Uday Goswami, coordinator of the Park, said solar fencing is there and it was switched off during the day time as elephants were not expected to come out and break the boundary wall.
Dilip Nath, a member of animal protection NGO Arnya Surakha Samittee and Rhino horn verification committee, said the park area was known to be an elephant zone often frequented by wild herds from nearby forest areas.