Ranchi, Feb 27 (PTI) A wild elephant entered Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi on Friday morning, triggering panic among residents, a forest official said.
The elephant was moving around the Hawai Nagar area, and a forest team has been deployed to drive the animal out of the city, he said.
“The elephant perhaps deviated from its route and entered the city. Since it is school time for children, we are following all safety measures,” Ranchi Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Srikant Verma told PTI.
He said elephants often come to the Dhurwa dam from the Halhu forest area.
The elephant was spotted near the National Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Technology around 5 am, another official said.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren had recently expressed concern over the rising number of casualties due to man-elephant conflicts in the state and directed officials to develop a mechanism to ensure that no human deaths occur due to elephant attacks.
Around 27 people have died in elephant attacks in several districts, including Ramgarh, Bokaro, Hazaribag, Chaibasa, Jamshedpur, Lohardaga, Gumla and Dumka, in the past few months, which he described as a matter of serious concern. PTI