Chaibasa: Amid rising incidents of wild elephant attacks in rural areas of West Singhbhum district, the Bharatiya Janata Party OBC Morcha submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, West Singhbhum, Chaibasa, demanding immediate relief for affected villagers. The memorandum expressed serious concern over the loss of human lives and property caused by elephants in rural regions.
The memorandum stated that for the past several months, villagers in forest-adjacent areas have been living in fear due to the growing menace of wild elephants. Herds of elephants are entering villages, attacking residents, resulting in several fatalities so far. Elephants are also demolishing houses, consuming stored food grains, and causing extensive damage to crops. Many villagers have been forced to take shelter in nearby villages to save their lives. In the harsh winter, villagers are compelled to stay awake throughout the night to guard their homes and fields.
The memorandum also accused the Forest Department of negligence, alleging that no concrete steps are being taken to protect villagers from elephant attacks. Despite having thousands of employees, the department has failed to provide relief to rural residents. It was alleged that merely distributing torches is being done as a formality, which is far from sufficient.
Hemant Kumar Keshari, State Minister of BJP OBC Morcha Jharkhand, urged the Deputy Commissioner to provide immediate relief to villagers affected by elephant attacks. The memorandum demanded compensation of ₹20 lakh each to the families of those killed by elephants, ₹1 lakh for the repair of houses damaged by elephants, and ₹15,000 for loss of food grains and crops. It was demanded that this assistance be provided immediately from the DMFT (District Mineral Foundation Trust) fund.
The BJP OBC Morcha also demanded the implementation of an effective and permanent system to prevent elephants from entering residential areas. Hemant Kumar Keshari warned that if prompt and concrete action is not taken, the Bharatiya Janata Party would be compelled to escalate the matter at a higher level.
A copy of the memorandum was also submitted to BJP State President Babulal Marandi for necessary action.
