Guwahati, March 15: At least two rampaging herds of elephants have flattened 50 houses of tea garden labourers near the Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary in Jorhat district and killed several heads of cattle in the past week.

The man-elephant conflict has dampened the spirit of Bihu in these areas with villagers blaming the forest department for doing nothing to stop the marauding herd.

Sources said forest personnel have not visited these places despite repeated requests, saying that most of the guards were on leave because of Bihu.

The worst affected areas are Katonibari, Soykotta, Ducklungia, Desoi and Kathalguri tea estates.

The herds damaged nearly 15 houses and killed two heads of cattle in Gangapur yesterday.

Forest department sources said the herds include a bull elephant which is causing maximum damage.

“The elephants have come to the sanctuary only recently and hopefully will leave soon. We are helpless till then,” a forest official said.

He said the sanctuary was too small to accommodate such a big number of elephants.

For the labourers of the crisis-ridden Assam Tea Corporation Limited (ATCL), who are facing a starvation-like situation for want of wages and ration, the elephant attacks could not have come at a worse time.

“Other garden management are taking necessary steps to rehabilitate the affected families but ATCL has no funds to take such steps,” a labour leader at Mariani said.

The labourers have also criticised local MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi for not visiting the affected families.

“He had visited these gardens regularly before the elec-tions but disappeared soon after,” the labour leader alleged.

Kurmi said he has taken up the matter with the forest department.

In January, the Jorhat district administration had to send in trained elephants to chase away wild herds in the face of repeated attacks.