Tamulpur, Oct 24: A herd of over 100 wild elephants has triggered panic across several villages in Tamulpur district, damaging paddy fields and plantations and leaving farmers worried about their livelihoods as the harvest season gets underway.
The herd has been moving through the Pagladia river and taking shelter along the Kalandi and Daranga rivers for the past 15 days before venturing into nearby villages and farmlands at night.
Residents of Darangapara, Sirichghutu Dowa, Angarkata, Sarubhera and Borkajuli Shimliguri are among those affected.
The elephants have reportedly damaged ripe paddy crops belonging to more than 100 farmers, trampling and consuming standing grain just as cultivators prepare to harvest their produce.
Areca nut and coconut plantations have also suffered damage.
“It is really saddening. For the past two weeks, a herd of around 150 elephants has been creating havoc in our area. We hope the government takes some measures to address the problem,” a local resident said.
The presence of the herd, which includes calves, has forced villagers to remain awake at night to protect their fields.
Forest department personnel, assisted by local residents, have managed to drive the elephants back towards the Pagladia river, but concerns over further raids persist.
Villagers have urged the government to take immediate steps to prevent additional crop losses and provide relief to affected farmers.
They have also raised concerns over compensation, particularly for damage to areca nut and coconut plantations.
“From what we have learned, people who have areca nut and coconut plantations have not received any compensation. We have heard that compensation of Rs 8,000 is provided for every bigha of paddy fields, but comparing this with the value of areca nut and coconut crops is not acceptable,” the resident said.
For many farmers, the damage has wiped out the season’s expected harvest. One villager said elephants had destroyed paddy crops across around five bighas of land, leaving the family with nothing to harvest.
“The elephants ate our paddy crops across around five bighas of land. Now, we have nothing left to harvest. Almost every family’s paddy crop has been eaten by the wild elephants. We have to stay awake at night,” the resident said.
The villager also said a man named Jagadish Rai had recently been injured and taken to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).
With the harvest season underway, residents fear further incursions could deepen their losses and have called for urgent government intervention to protect their crops and address the growing human-elephant conflict.