A CORRESPONDENT
BOKAKHAT: The menace of wild elephants continues unabated in Numaligarh, with herds of elephants wreaking havoc on paddy fields and destroying standing sali paddy crops. Residents are spending sleepless nights in fear, while the Forest Department has allegedly failed to provide adequate protection. Wild elephants have become a constant source of terror for paddy farmers, both during the day and at night.
Farmers in the Morangi Mouza are facing a desperate situation as wild elephants continue to devastate their crops. The affected areas include Dholakhat, Miripathar, Halowathan, Kordoiguri, Mithiaam Chapori, Jathipatia, and several other locations in Morangi Mouza.
Although many farmers in the wider region have abandoned cultivation and left thousands of bighas of agricultural land fallow because of repeated elephant raids, some farmers have continued cultivating small plots in the hope of securing their family’s food supply for the year. However, the elephant herd destroyed these crops within a single night.
With wild elephants roaming through paddy fields as freely as domestic cattle and goats, farmers are facing an increasingly difficult and dangerous situation. The threat is not confined to agricultural land, as wild elephants are also frequently spotted on public roads, posing a serious risk to commuters. Even a moment of carelessness could lead to a dangerous encounter.