A herd of elephants crosses the Hatibari Road at Biramitrapur town in Sundargarh. Picture by Uttam Kumar Pal

Rourkela, Nov. 17: Panic gripped Biramitrapur, 40km from here, when a herd of elephants came perilously closer to the town last night. The animals stoped about a kilometre away from the township.

The 15-member herd came from Bisra and stopped near the Patpahar mines office of Bisra Stone and Limite (BSL).

“Production work in the mines has stopped following the state government's decision. The herd is there now. It is fortunate that it stayed near the mine and did not venture towards Biramitrapur,” said C.S. Tripathy, a senior BSL executive.

Another executive of the company, Padma Charana Mishra, who visited the spot, said: “They could have easily entered the jungle which is barely a kilometre away from where they are now. But, they came back when they found some 15 local children on their way.”

The herd was moving near the main road of Purunapani, another nearby mining town. The foliage and trees in the area was providing them with resting places and food, said Mishra.

Patras Munda, another resident of Biramitrapur, said: “The herd had finished paddy on a big patch of land before taking rest near Patpahar.” He said there were 10 to 15 houses near the place and the residents were worried with the elephants roaming around in the neighbourhood.

This is the first incident of such a large herd coming this close to Biramitrapur.

Forest range officer Joahan Oram said: “The herd has four calves and so, the elders in the group are in an aggressive mood. They are challenging anyone who makes an effort to go close to the area.”

According to Oram, three herds had come together forming a formidable number of 35, and were staying in the vicinity. “Only a few days ago, the herd broke and this one became the largest and has remained in the area. The rest of the elephants have dispersed,” he said.

The harried officer explained that he was finding it difficult to handle the crowd.

The area, including Kuranrmunda, Biramitrapur, Kachru, Riun and Birsa, come under the jurisdiction of Rourkela forest division. The topography of the area is conducive to elephants.

The animals prefer this area owing to the presence of paddy fields, vegetable fields, human habitation providing them with ready-made cooked food and handia, the local brew, thick forest coverage, which is not very far from their corridor and water bodies.

On November 10, a female elephant died when it came in contact with a live electricity wire near Kacharu. The animal died when the wires from a broken electric pole touched its body.

Incidentally, the pole was broken by the lead male of that herd when it rubbed its back against it.