A wild elephant strayed into a residential locality in Hatia area of Ranchi on Friday morning, triggering panic among residents. The animal was spotted roaming along a roadside, following which locals immediately alerted the police.
Acting swiftly, a police team reached the spot and urged people in the surrounding areas to remain cautious. The Forest Department was also informed about the incident, and a team has begun preparations to safely drive the elephant back toward the forest.
Officials have appealed to residents not to provoke or approach the elephant, warning that any such act could make it aggressive. As a precautionary measure, the area is being cordoned off to prevent any untoward incident or loss of life.
Hatia legislator Naveen Jaiswala said that due to uncontrolled mining activities such incidents are taking place. “There is a lack on the part of Forest department initiatives to provide training and equipment to the villagers to ward off elephants,” he said.
Meanwhile, Minister Hafizul Hasan Ansari said that the government is sincerely working in the direction and forest department officials have been asked to take necessary measures.
The incident comes amid a rising number of elephant intrusions across Jharkhand. Over the past month, more than two dozen people have reportedly lost their lives in elephant attacks in different districts of the state. Several villagers have also been injured, and crops have suffered significant damage.
With frequent elephant movements into residential areas increasing the risk to life and property, fear has spread among Hatia residents. For now, a joint team of the district administration and the Forest Department is closely monitoring the situation and urging people to exercise restraint.
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