With the beginning of harvest season, the invasion of the wild elephants into the human habitat in the villages under districts East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum and Seraikela Kharswan is triggering panic among the villagers, who are forced to spend restless nights.

In absence of any precautionary measures from the forest department, the hapless villagers are gathering old tyres, drums, crackers and are setting up Rs machaan' in the strategic points for combating the elephant menace.

Concerned over the spate of elephant menace during the past couple of days, the forest department officials in cooperation of the villagers have also set up teams for driving away the elephants at the villages which are prone to be invaded by the migratory herds.

"I had planted paddy on a patch of four acres of land this monsoon, and was expecting to harvest a good crop sometime around October-November, but a herd of elephants spoiled everything. The the herd has not only stomached the young plants, but also trampled the entire field," said Kinku Sardar, a resident of Bhilai Pahari panchayat.

He said that last year drought had brought misery across the region, causing most of the villagers under Bhilai Pahari to get squarely indebted.  "I had figured out that this time there were all chances of harvesting a good crop so that I may be able to pay back the loans.  But my condition seems to have returned to square one," said the villager.

There are about three more villagers who have fallen victim to the wild elephants who love to eat the young paddy field.  After the trampling of the crops, the people of adjoining villagers are apprehensive of similar phenomena at the paddy field in their villages and are mobilised to take preventive measures before it is too late.

An official of the forest department said he was aware of the elephant's menace in some of the villages in the foothills of Dalma.  He pointed out that he was going to take corrective measures immediately so that the elephants may not destroy any more of the paddy crops by straying into the human habitats in the foothills of Dalma.

"We are going to provide crackers, burnt mobile oil and old tyres to the villagers so that they may be able to keep the herd of elephants away by bursting crackers and burning tyres as well Rs mashals' in the night. We have also formed teams," said theofficial.