Elephant herd halts traffic in Raigarh; 133 jumbos on move, villagers on edge

Raipur: Traffic came to a standstill for some time in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district on Thursday evening after a herd of elephants was spotted along a roadside, triggering panic among villagers already grappling with the presence of 133 elephants in the Dharamjaigarh forest division. Vehicular movement on the route remained suspended until the herd safely crossed over to the other side. On Wednesday night alone, crops belonging to 28 farmers were damaged by elephant movement. Forest officials said a group of 10 elephants emerged from the forest area in Amgaon and crossed the Raigarh road before moving into the forest. The incident comes amid growing concern in the district over the large elephant presence. According to forest department figures, the Dharamjaigarh forest division currently has 133 elephants, including 31 males, 67 females and 35 calves. The highest concentration was reported in Bojiya in Chhal range, where 35 elephants were spotted, followed by 30 in Potiya, 15 in Amgaon, and 13 each in Chhal and Aamapali in Lailunga. Teams from the forest department and the Hathi Mitra Dal were present at the site and appealed to residents in nearby villages to remain alert. Officials said the elephant herd is being closely monitored. The continued movement of elephants through inhabited and agricultural areas has heightened fear among residents of elephant-affected villages. Forest department teams reached the affected villages on Friday morning and began assessing the losses.