Farmers perch on trees to save crops

SAMBALPUR: The vagaries of nature and attacks by elephants have given the farmers of Rengali block sleepless nights, literally.  Unable to bear the elephant menace farmers of Beunra, Narupada, Derba, Sardhapali and Gourdihi villages under Ghichamura panchayat constructed platforms atop trees as a last ditch attempt to guard their paddy. Burning wood at the bottom of the trees to keep the elephants at bay, they are keeping awake all night lest the pachyderms damage their crop. The elephants damaged more than 500 acres of agricultural fields till the end of October against 300 acres last year. What has left the farmers of Jangla, Bomaloi,  Ghichamura, Kinaloi, Rengloi, Jhankarpali, Tamperkela and Tabdabahal panchayats panicky is that with the harvesting season all set to begin the elephants would get attracted to the ripe smell and enter their fields to ravage the crops.  On Sunday, a herd of 40 elephants strayed into the paddy fields in the villages of Langbahal, Manikmunda and Jarli and devoured paddy over 30 acres. On Monday night they swooped down on the same villages and two more on the periphery and damaged crop over another 25 acres. Attributing the straying of elephants to industrialisation and loss of corridor, Rengali Forest Ranger Ananda Bihari Patel said elephants lose track of their corridor and stray into human habitations. The department has been facing difficulty in chasing away elephants repeatedly.