Coimbatore: A herd of elephants which entered into the farm land at Madukkarai in Coimbatore district, damaged crops worth of Rs 50,000 on Saturday. The fields belonging to Nagaraj and Selvaraj took the brunt of their attack.
“The elephants entered the village in search of food and damaged the pipes installed for irrigation. Maize and Banana grown in the field has also been damaged. The loss has been estimated at Rs 50, 000. We are worried over the elephant menace, it has become the order of the day.” said Farmer P. Nagaraj of Madukkarai.
“The Forest Department has failed to solve the problem, while farmers of Madukkarai exposing themselves to danger elephant attack. The Forest and Revenue departments should give the compensation to those who were affected by elephant’s rampage. The Forest officials should take necessary action to curb the elephant’s movement near the railway tracks,” said Tamilnadu Agricultural labours Union district president S. Palanisamy.
“On February 4, 2008, four elephants hit by train had died on the spot, while they tried to cross the track near Madukkarai. A herd of the elephants cross the railway tracks every day, which expose them to the danger of train accident” he added.
