The ongoing yearly elephant scare in forested parts of West Midnapore, including Jhargram, has prompted over 6,000 farmers from the area to submit compensation claims to the forest department claiming damage by rampaging herds.

Forest department officials confirmed the development on Friday, less than a week after the district superintendent of police issued job letters to 46 bereaved kin of victims of elephant attacks since 2011.

Sources in Jhargram last week said that the development came amid sightings of a herd of 16 elephants who were trampling crop fields in the area as recently as last week, prompting villagers to demand action to safeguard their farmlands.

“Roughly 3,500 hectares across West Midnapore and Jhargram have been destroyed by elephant rampages this year alone. These occurrences usually peak around winter,” said a forest department official, confirming they received the compensation claims and were reviewing them in detail.

“We view these claims on a per decimal or per hectare basis, which is why verification can take time,” he added.

The forest official explained that the compensation rates ranged between Rs 1,000 and Rs 3,000 a hectare depending on damage, and was usually calculated at Rs 60 per decimal.

Asked, district additional divisional officer of forests Bijoy Chakrabarti admitted that herd rampages were a longstanding problem in the area without any permanent solution as of now.

“Elephant herds roam around and destroy paddy fields in this area routinely," he said.

“We have processed a third of the compensation claims and will verify rest very soon,” Chakrabarti added.

Farmer Samar Kisku, 48, a resident of Salboni, said that he lost a bigha of produce to elephant trampling less than a week ago.

“More than eating crops, elephants cause damage by ravaging the paths they take through fields,” Kisku said, adding that he had submitted his compensation claim and was “hopeful” of being remunerated.

The elephant herd rampage problem reportedly posed greater damages this year as compared to last, when 2,000 hectares had been reported damaged. Forest department officials had back then issued Rs 1.35 crore in compensation to farmers and Rs 18 lakh in compensation to 342 homeowners.

This year, more than 350 homes have been reported damaged.

“When they don’t find food in fields, they storm residential areas,” said one villager.