Relief camps displaced in Assam by elephants
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Newmai News Network
Guwahati, January 12 2011:
Ethnic cleansing, communal hatred and militancy have together displaced more than eight million people in Assam since 1960 .
For the first time, elephants have forced some 1,000 people to flee their homes and take refuge in relief camps.
From Monday, residents of 25 villages in Hojai sub-division of central Assam's Nagaon district have moved to three relief camps the district authorities set up to check man-elephant conflicts.
Marauding elephants have killed nine persons in a 30 sq km area since December last year.
These relief camps contrast with 37 set up 400 km west in Goalpara and Kamrup districts of Assam to house 35,000 victims of ethnic clashes between Garo and Rabha tribal people scattered on either side of the Assam-Meghalaya border.
Unlike these relief camps for ethnic riot victims, the camps for the jumbo displaced are being guarded with tranquilizer guns and chili-pepper bombs.
"These relief camps are unprecedented, and we are desperately trying to work out a solution," said Nagaon deputy commissioner M.Angamuthu.
"The problem began a week ago when a herd of 200 elephants with some 50 calves descended from the hills of adjoining Karbi Anglong districts.
They seem to be trapped amid human habitations" .
He added the elephants have destroyed more than 200 houses.
People in unaffected villages in the area were also trooping in to the relief camps.
"Most people stay the night, going out in the day to work only if assured the elephants aren't nearby" .
Local blamed the problem on a cement factory that has come up on an elephant corridor forcing the elephants to move into new areas.
Wildlife experts and activists agreed.
"Most of the affected people are not used to elephants and thus do not know how to tackle herds.
The only way to stop this growing man-animal conflict is to return the elephants their habitats," said Bibhav Talukdar of green group Aaranyak.