ROURKELA: The Xalxo family has to deal with uninvited guests for past couple of days. They lock themselves indoor and peep through the window to watch the elephants roaming in the courtyard. The neighbours in Bhundutola hamlet at Karichhapal village of Kuanrmunda block under the Rourkela Forest Division are equally scared. The mud houses do not guarantee them safety. The herd holed up in the Brahmani forest, about 100 metres from the village, has spread panic among the children here.On Sunday night their school was raided. A young tusker landed at the porch and tried to push open the iron gate. With no help coming, the villagers on Monday night tried to scare the herd away by bursting crackers. Bonfires are lit all through the night for safety. Ratan Xalxo said a herd comprising a dozen elephants was at his verandah. They destroyed cauliflower and beans crops before demolishing an outhouse. The herd also devoured 40 bags of paddy and 40-kg rice stored in the house of one Bisra Oram of Karichapal village.Another villager, Raju Xalxo said they had resorted to early harvesting of horticulture crop and shifting grains to the market to avoid attracting the elephants. A teacher of Chutia Project Primary School, Bijay Sahu said the elephants can be spotted in the village after 7 pm, adding that he feared for his life while returning to the village on his two-wheeler. Kuanrmunda ranger Nalinikanta Behera said the herd was confined to a radius of 20 km since September 21, 2010 unable to find an escape route. He said the elephants are not aggressive, adding they have sent an estimated compensation of ` 1.5 lakh for approval.
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