Border villagers get torchlights to keep elephants at bay

From Our Special Correspondent
 
GUWAHATI: Boko Assembly constituency MLA, Nandita Das on Monday distributed high power torchlights among four villages along the Assam-Meghalaya border in a bid to help residents protect themselves from the onslaught of wild elephants after dusk. The torchlights were distributed among the villagers of Dohgaon, Kodompara, Gohanimara and Dolguma.
“Man-elephant conflicts are increasing in the areas along the inter-state border near Boko. A couple of days ago, two wild elephants had died while 10 days back, a herd of wild elephants damaged three houses, a rice mill and trampled upon livestock in the Dohgaon area,” Das told a section of the media on Monday. The legislator also took stock of the situation in the area and distributed financial aid among families of those injured in elephant attacks. “People in these villages have formed village committees as well in this regard,” she said.
During the torchlight distribution programme, Das advised the villagers to set up banana and sugarcane plantations away from human habitation so that the wild herds which generally enter residential areas in search of fodder can have access to them at a distance from the houses. The MLA assured that she would offer support in regard to setting up such plantations for the wild elephants.