Periyapatna:  Accusing Forest Department Officials of failing to check wild elephant menace, villagers living in forest border areas in Periyapatna taluk have vented their ire against official apathy.

Uthenahalli is one of the most affected villages with wild elephants repeatedly straying into agricultural lands along the forest borders, destroying crops such as ragi, paddy, banana and maize. Elephants trample solar fencing to enter the fields. As elephant menace continues unchecked, villagers have complained that they are even scared to venture out of their houses during night.

Villagers complained that elephant trenches dug up over 5 years ago have got covered with mud with the passage of time and this has facilitated the easy entry of elephants into the fields from the woods. “There are several villages surrounding the forests like Alaluru, Bekkased, Anechowkur, Malangi, Neralakuppe, Kadamanahalli and Kolave that are frequently raided by elephants and standing crops are destroyed,” said Puttamahadevappa, a farmer.

Villagers alleged that the Range Forest Officer does not even receive phone calls from villagers when they call him to come to their rescue.

“The officer and staff are least bothered about our safety and even the compensation provided by the Department for crop loss is meagre and that too we receive the paltry sum after running around the Department Office and after many documentation process,” alleged farmers Puttamahadevappa, Chennappa, Surendra, Sakamma and                     Naganna.

They also alleged that the Forest Department was unnecessarily delaying the fencing of border areas using railway track metal, barbed wire fencing, digging of trenches and such other measures for checking elephant menace.

Fed up with the Department’s apathy, villagers of Uthenahalli and surrounding villages met Periyapatna MLA K. Mahadeva, who directed the Forest Officials to take necessary action.

Hunsur Range Forest Officer Somappa said that he has brought the issue to the notice of higher authorities. Necessary measures will be taken once the funds are released. He added that it was the responsibility of Wildlife Division to compensate the farmers for crops destroyed.

Range Forest Officer of Nagarahole National Park (Wildlife) K. Sundar has stated that the responsibility of Wildlife Division is only to provide compensation for loss of lives and crops. All the other responsibilities to be carried out by the Periyapatna Reserve Forest Division.  

By H.D. Ramesh