A herd of over 30 wild elephants went on a rampage at a village in Dhupguri block of Jalpaiguri on Saturday night and damaged potato crop spread over an area of over 50 bighas.

On Sunday, foresters met the affected farmers and assured them of suitable compensation.

According to sources, the elephant herd walked out of the Sonakhali forest at night and reached Kalkhamba, an agricultural village of Dhupguri.

“The herd damaged potatoes ready for harvest. Crops in at least 50 bighas of land have been damaged. We are perturbed over frequent incidents of elephant depredation and don’t know how long we can continue our cultivation. There is no point in cultivating crops and helplessly watching elephants damaging them,” said Mithun Roy, one of the affected farmers.

The villagers said that as elephants often stray into the village and adjoining areas, they raised watchtowers on their own to monitor the animals.

“Many of us stay at the watchtowers throughout the night, especially ahead of harvest, to monitor elephants. We pass an alert and others try to thwart elephants entering the field by beating tins and bursting sound crackers. But these days, such tactics are not working. The state forest department should take some effective initiative to ensure that elephants stay in the forest,” said Shyamal Roy, another farmer who is also a member of the local Sakoajhora-II panchayat.

Crops apart, the elephants also damage homes, he said.

Foresters said they are keeping a watch over the herd’s movement. “We have told the affected farmers that they can get compensation if they submit their applications with us in proper format,” said a forest official.