Elephants cause havoc in villages

Patthalgaon, CG, Oct 1 (UNI) Annoyed over elephants going on rampage in Jashpur district of Chhattisgarh, villagers today blocked the Katni-Gumla National Highway.

Divisional Forest Officer O P Yadav said a herd of 16 tuskers had been camping in the district headquarters since the past three days. Pachyderms have destroyed crops and ransacked homes of villagers in six villages.

A 10-km-long queue was formed on both the sides of the national highway due to the agitation as efforts to pacify them by the district administration failed.

Earlier, the Forest department had issued directions to shoot a tusker named 'Gajju', who trampled four villagers to death recently. However, it fled to forests in Jharkhand.

Later, a herd of elephants arrived from Jharkhand and started creating havoc.

UNI XC-PS 1559