Mawkyrwat, Jan 22: The Ranikor Area Farmers’ Association (RAFA) and the farmers of various villages under Nongnah-Ranikor in the South West Khasi Hills district have threatened to kill all the wild elephants in the area if the state government fails to chase them away.
They are angry that the state government has not taken any steps so far to give respite to them from the elephant menace.
A decision on the ultimatum to the government was taken on Saturday after a public meeting which was organised by RAFA together with farmers of several villages including Nongnah, Nongiohijngai, Dirang, Mawlangbah and 18 Mile villages. The meeting was held at the Nongnah village, 30 km from Mawkyrwat.
The farmers are worried as it is the harvesting season. The wild elephants frequent the plantation areas and destroy the crops and houses of the farmers.
The farmers said they are left with no option but to kill the elephants. They said if they do not do it, the members of their families will die of hunger. They said they have been facing the problem in Ranikor and Nongnah areas for more than two years but the government allegedly failed to chase the elephants to sanctuaries.
During the meeting, RAFA president Michael Lyngdoh said this is the harvesting season, especially for broomsticks, betel nuts, betel leaves, bay leaf and other products, but the farmers do not dare go to the field as the elephants become aggressive when they find people and chase them.
Lyngdoh said he and some farmers had a narrow escape the other day when they were chased by the elephants. He said they saved their lives by hiding in a cliff.
He lamented that RAFA and the farmers had earlier requested the Forest department and the Deputy Commissioner to chase away the elephants to the sanctuaries but they took no actions.
“We will now give a few days to the state government to chase away the wild elephants, failing which the farmers will have no option but to take the law into their own hands and for which, the government will be responsible,” Lyngdoh warned.
The public meeting ended with the decision to kill all the wild elephants in the area if the government fails again to act immediately.
