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The villagers from Bhanupratappur village in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh are being forced to take shelter in prisons due to the fear of elephants in the area.
As the night falls, villagers lock themselves up in an under-construction jail to keep them safe from elephants that create havoc at night. A large number of elephants in herds visit the villages and nearby areas in the evening and roam around looking for food overnight.
In the last 5 years in Chhattisgarh, more than 350 people have lost their lives to the attack by elephants. The casualties, however, are not one sided as 25 elephants have also been killed.
Bhanupartapur village in Kanker district is located in the dense forest of Dandakaranya region. During the day, the elephants go away and take shelter in the hilly areas of the region. The wild beasts return in herds during night and go on a rampage.
In the last one month, elephants have crushed to death 3 people in Mahasamund and Jashpur districts in the state due to which hundreds of villagers leave their villages to take shelter in the jail every evening.
Here, they spend the night like prisoners in jail and after that they return to their homes in the morning. Bijikatta, a village woman, admitted that it is a strange situation. She said that the households have to prepare their dinner by 4pm and leave for the jail.
In Chhattisgarh, Lemru Reserve Elephant corridor has also been proposed for elephants. The animals have been granted a huge space of 2000 sq km to prevent any human and elephant conflict.
But the Opposition has alleged that the government is involved in corruption in the name of the scheme.
Things certainly cannot go like this forever. Some solid reforms must be implemented to ensure the safety of the villagers in this area.
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