TEAM HERALD
BELGAUM
Wild elephants traversing the forests bordering Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa have not only caused panic among farmers and villages, but they have also damaged crops in Jamboti and villages bordering Goa.
Farmers fear that danger still lurks over rabi crops as presence of tuskers in the area is imminent.
According to a survey by the forest department, the tuskers have destroyed crops worth Rs 2 lakh, the figure that might be higher in reality. The crops destroyed comprise paddy, sugarcane, sweet potato, grounds nuts, etc.
Farmers in the region complained that lack of co-ordination among forest officials of the three states has resulted in the rising wild elephant menace.
According to official sources, dense forests from Western Ghats bordering Khanapur taluka and Goa have become a safe habitat for wild elephants which normally arrive from Goa and Maharashtra.
While in the rainy season it is the bisons and wild boars that bother farmers, it is the turn of the tuskers once the rainy season is on the decline.
Farmers in the region who incur heavy losses every year have demanded a permanent solution to the tusker menace.
