‘Illegal farming on river banks in Jalpaiguri district attracts elephant herds’

Jalpaiguri: Illegal habitat and crop cultivation along the river banks in Jalpaiguri district are dangerously attracting elephant herds from the forest, leading them to raid settlements along the Teesta, Jaldhaka and other rivers

in Jalpaiguri.

Recent incidents of elephants straying from the Bodaganj Forest towards Milan Palli in Bodaganj and Vivekananda Palli on the outskirts of Jalpaiguri town have posed a new challenge for the Forest department to prevent the elephants from entering the town.

In the past month alone, at least three such incidents have been reported, with elephants using the riverine route through the Teesta, coming as close as 3 km to the town. On Thursday, a herd of around 10 elephants was spotted near Vivekananda Palli.

According to forest officials, the entire bank area of rivers Teesta, Jaldhaka, and others adjacent to the forest falls under the conventional elephant corridor. However, people from outside have encroached upon this land, cultivating crops that attract the animals.

The Forest department is uncertain how long they can protect these settlements. Recent data reveals that at least 500 houses have been constructed on the Teesta riverbank in the past couple of years. These settlements in Baropatiya, Milan Pally, Mouamari in Jalpaiguri, and Kranti blocks of the district have started cultivating crops, including maize, peanuts, gourd, and luffa, attracting elephants over the past year. The Forest department has driven at least nine herds from these riverbank areas into adjacent forests in the last year.

Krishnendu Bhowmik, Chief Engineer of Jalpaiguri Irrigation and Water Bodies department, emphasised the need to halt farming and construction along the river banks to reduce the attraction of elephant herds and protect

the river.

Lima Lamu Sherpa, Additional Divisional Forest Officer, Jalpaiguri Wildlife Division, stated: “As soon as we become aware of elephant presence, our department guides the herd back into the forest. We also coordinate with other departments to restrict people from farming along the riverbanks.”