Jhapa, August 3

As many as four persons were killed and 987 people were victimised due to attacks by wild elephants in Jhapa district in the fiscal 2015/16.

According to District Forest Office, Jhapa, four persons lost their lives, three were critically injured and one sustained minor injury after wild elephants attacked them in the district last year. The victims said food grains meant for 842 families, houses belonging to 20 families and crops belonging to 11 families worth over Rs 10 million were destroyed in the attacks.

As per Relief Help Act 2072, Rs 500,000 will be offered to anyone who dies in an elephant attack, maximum Rs 100,000 will be offered to those who are injured in the attack and Rs 10,000 will e given to anyone who sustains minor injuries.

The DFO informed that Rs 10,000 was offered to the victims, depending on the nature of destruction caused in the attack. The terror of wild tuskers is often reported in Bahundangi, Prithivinagar, Rajghad, Maheshpur, Dhaijan, Shantinagar, Mechinagar, Pathariya and Garamani, among other places of the district.

The locals said wild elephants not only terrorised them, but also destroyed their crops and houses. They demanded that the concerned authority take the matter seriously and find a long-term solution.