A herd of wild elephants has created panic at Numaligarh in Upper Assam’s Golaghat district on Thursday.

The herd of more than 50 members came out of Deopahar reserve forest and has damaged paddy fields, vegetable farms, a broiler farm and granaries.

Villagers of Ponka, Telgaram, Marangi, Bongaon, Garigaon, Patiapathar, Radhabari, Mahuramukh, Rangamati and Badulipar are affected by the depredation.

The forest officials are trying to drive back the herd but it is trying to find food in the paddy fields.

Man-elephant conflict in the area is escalating as a result of largescale encroachment.Most of the elephant corridors are blocked by human construction.

Even Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL)was set up on a site frequented by elephants.

After two decades, a number of deaths of elephants and people and a raging legal battle, the controversy regarding the elephant corridor blocked by the refinery in Assam’s Golaghat district has been put to rest as the Assam government notified the surrounding area as a reserve forest.

The government’s notification, dated January 19, notified Deopahar as a reserve forest under Section 17 of the Assam Forest Regulation, 1891. On August 18, 1999, 133.45 hectares in Deopahar were notified as a proposed reserve forest in The Assam Gazette.

The document had highlighted the area as a regular migratory route for elephants and other wild animals from Kaziranga National Park, which is barely kilometres away from the site.

Suspended

The Assam forest department has suspended Julfikar Alam, a ranger of the central range, Krishnai range forest, under the Goalpara forest division, for his alleged involvement in the destruction of forest resources and violating the Armed Forces Act 1959.

The order was passed by R.K. Mazumdar, commissioner and secretary of environment and forest department, on December 20 and was made public in Goalpara on Thursday evening.

The order said Alam has been held responsible, based on the report of divisional forest officer (DFO), Goalpara, for “negligence of government duty and direct violation of the Act”.

He was accused of “wilful negligence towards controlling illegalities and direct connivance with smugglers to carry on illegal activities on destruction of forest and forest produce”.On Friday morning, two elephants damaged the kitchen walls of the Damas LP school of Krishnai and devoured baby food, midday meal rice and vegetables.

In another incident at Panbari near Digboi town of Tinsukia district, one Ajit Murmu was attacked by wild elephants when he went inside the neighbourhood jungle to collect firewood. Murmu sustained grievous injuries in the attack.

Additional reporting by Sofikul Ahmed in Goalpara