Pernem: Tusker Omkar, which has been entering agricultural areas in villages downhill of Manohar International Airport, Mopa, destroyed within hours the coconut plantation that Subodhini Budaji Parab had spent eight to 10 years nurturing.
For Parab, the coconut trees in her plantation were more than just crops. As a widowed homemaker
from Torse, she had spent nearly a decade nurturing the saplings she bought with her savings, hoping they would eventually support her family.
In a matter of hours, most of that work was destroyed with almost her entire plantation damaged, leaving only a few trees standing.
With her children unemployed and no steady source of income, the loss has left Parab worried about how she will recover the investment and labour that went into the plantation.
The repeated elephant incursions have become a growing concern for farmers in the Torse and Tamboxem-Mopa belt, where around 60 to 70 per cent
of the population depends on agriculture and dairy farming.
Farmers said Omkar had been entering their areas for the past year, returning every three to four months and damaging crops and plantations that have taken years to grow.
When the elephant entered her plantation, Parab said only two Forest Department personnel arrived, carrying little more than a one-litre bottle.
“How were they planning to drive away an elephant with that?” she said.
Fearing further damage, Parab collected old clothes and tyres, soaked them and set them ablaze in an attempt to scare the elephant away, while neighbours watched from a distance.
For farmers, the concern goes beyond the loss of a single crop. They said compensation paid after damage assessments — Rs 1,000, Rs 2,000 and, occasionally, Rs 10,000 — does not cover the years of investment and labour involved in maintaining plantations.
“The government tells us to farm, but when an elephant destroys everything overnight, how are we expected to survive?” farmers asked.
The farming community is now seeking measures to prevent further incursions and, if necessary, the safe relocation of the tusker. Farmers said a lasting solution is needed to protect their crops, plantations and livelihoods from repeated damage.
