Ready for tusker trouble

Vigil groups in Mayurbhanj keep round-the-clock watch from tree-tops to protect houses and crops from pachyderms migrating from Dalma in Jharkhand and Tapoban in West Bengal. TOI tracks the elephant corridors.
BARIPADA: When the harvest season is on in full swing, herds of pachyderms come from Jharkhand's Dalma range and Tapoban Sanctuary in West Bengal to ravage standing crops in the state's Mayurbhanj district.
But this year, the Mayurbhanj administration is on high alert and taking cue from past migrations, the Baripada territorial forest division has constituted a dozen Hati Jaga Raksha Vahini at all the border villages to keep round-the-clock watch on the movement of migrating elephants. Their aim is to drive them back to their natural habitats in the neighbouring states.
The squads are manned by local villagers skilled in the art of driving away the animals without torturing or irritating them. Their vigil is expected to protect crops and homes from these marauding pachyderms. "Squad members have been visiting West Bengal to gather information on their movement," said DFO (Baripada) Bejoy Kumar Panda, adding, "there are six villagers in each group, who are by now well acquainted with the moods, behaviour and movements of the crop-raiding elephants."
Vahini members, who visited Nayagram, Kesarekha, Gopiballavhpur and Lodhasuli in West Bengal, reported that nearly 100 Dalma elephants have congregated in these villages. The herd may sneak into Patharnesa, Jogibundh, Kathasirsi, Palo, Ghanghana, Bankati, Mahabilla and Kantisahi villages under Suliapada block in Mayurbhanj district. Last year, herds damaged 35 houses and standing kharif crop in Mayurbhanj in the early part of December.
Trained squad members keep vigil from atop trees at night. When they see them approaching from their machaans, they raise an alarm, beat drums, burst crackers and light mashals to scare and drive them away.
An annual budget of Rs 2 lakh has been allocated for the Vahini. Besides, nearly Rs 494 lakh has been earmarked under the Jumbo Management Scheme to take care of the corridors used by these elephants, However, the scheme is awaiting clearance from the forest department," sources said. Called the West Bengal-Deuli-Suliapada-Raibania elephant passage management, the scheme will be implemented over a period of five years.