Man-jumbo conflict rises in Assam

Guwahati: Wild elephants have trampled to death 149 people and damaged 1,880 hectares of crops in Assam in the past two years.

Environment and forest minister Pramila Rani Brahma told the Assembly on Thursday that 92 people died and 56 were injured in 2016-17 while 57 died and 19 were injured in 2017-18 in man-elephant conflict in the state.

Replying to a question by BJP legislator Ranoj Pegu, Brahma said elephants destroyed 634.6 hectares of agricultural land, affecting 1,208 families, in 2016-17. The figure rose to 1,246.1 hectares, affecting 2,194 families, in 2017-18. Altogether 3,546 houses - 1,752 in 2016-17 and 1,794 in 2017-18 - were damaged because of elephant depredation.

Two elephants were poisoned to death and one died of deliberate electrocution in 2016-17 while eight died of poisoning the next year, she said.

Pegu expressed concern over the man-elephant conflict that, he said, had assumed serious proportions in Dhemaji, Majuli, Jorhat, Golaghat, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts.

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