Angul: Tribal settlers on Tuesday locked up the Karatapata forest office in the district and squatted on the road disrupting vehicular movement for nearly three hours in protest against elephant menace in the area.

A herd of elephants damaged their houses on Monday night. Police rushed to the spot to diffuse the tense situation. The village, where elephants have destroyed crops, comes under the Baantala forest range. The situation was brought under control after forest officials assured the villagers of putting to an end the elephants' depredation, said an official of Baantala police station Subhendu Dhir.

The authorities had failed to provide a viable solution to the elephant menace. The solar fencing installed in the forest areas on the fringe of the village to ward off animals has turned dysfunctional. The elephant-chasing squads have stopped venturing into the forest. "As a result, the jumbos are sneaking into the villages at will. We are bearing the brunt of jumbo menace due to the indifferent attitude of forest officials," said a protesting villager.

"On Monday night, the elephants ravaged the crop field and damaged at least four houses at the village. They could easily have killed us as well. But, we could save our lives only because we were alert. We are spending sleepless nights here," said villager Sanatan Majhi.

The village, which is facing the onslaught of the elephant menace, is infamous for illicit country-liquor brewing. The elephants are enticed by typical aromatic smell of handia, a local brew made of fermented rice prepared by the local residents who are mostly tribal settlers.

"We are sensitive towards the people's plight. A service group of 25 skilled personnel having expertise and experience in tracking and chasing jumbos have been dispatched to disperse the unruly elephants," said a forest official.