Srikakulam: Jumbos enter village, wreak havoc

A herd of wild elephants wreaked havoc between G.K. Gumada and Rajula Gumada villages under Vangara Mandal in Srikakulam district on Tuesday night, scaring the locals and damaging standing crops.

The locals said that six elephants entered the area on Tuesday night and damaged banana, paddy and few other crops including the thatched houses near the farm fields.

Locals said that they have been facing elephant menace for years, but officials have not done anything to find a permanent solution to stop the menace.

Sources said that soon after the tuskers entered the area, the locals ran from their homes.

Forest officials said that though the herd of six jumbos was driven away into the forest in neighbouring Odisha a few months back, they returned to the villages in Andhra Pradesh and have been creating havoc in the tribal pockets of Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts.