Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency, Chandrakona Road:- In recent times, herds of wild elephants have been causing massive damage to farmers' crops in various areas of West Bengal. Elephant attacks on settlements and agricultural lands are having a serious impact on the livelihood of farmers and are increasing the risk to public life.
Especially in Goaltor Garhbeta Chandrakona Road Shalbani area, elephants have been wreaking havoc for many years.
The reason for the problem is the lack of forest land because human settlement on forests and destruction of forest land are narrowing the habitat of elephants.
As the natural food of the forest is decreasing, elephants are raiding crop lands and eating crops.
The combination of rivers, forests and agricultural lands makes it easy for elephants to move, which increases the attack on crops.
Elephants are mainly entering paddy, maize and other crop lands and destroying them.
Farmers fear that apart from damaging crops, these herds can also destroy houses.
The farmers are suffering financially due to this incident, which has made their livelihood difficult.
The forest department is preparing a list of affected farmers and arranging compensation as per the rules.
Talks are being held with the forest department to remove the elephant herd from the area.
Officials and local residents are appealing for various preventive measures to drive away the elephant herd and control their movement routes.
To reduce Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC), forest restoration and creation of corridors for elephant movement are necessary.
As a preventive measure, it is important to observe the behavior of elephants by wildlife experts and understand their movement patterns.
Farmers need to be trained and made aware so that they can use the right methods to drive away elephants.
A comprehensive plan needs to be taken in collaboration with local administrations and wildlife conservation organizations.
The solution to this problem of elephants damaging crops is not limited to financial compensation alone. Emphasis on forest conservation, appropriate planning, and long-term solutions is essential to ensure peaceful coexistence between elephants and humans.