Digboi: Fresh movement of wild elephants into residential areas of Assam’s Digboi in the early hours of Wednesday has raised concerns over human–elephant conflict in the region.
According to reports, a herd of wild elephants believed to have come from the Upper Dihing Reserved Forest entered Gorufatek in the Muliabari area around 4 a.m. and later moved through nearby localities including Seuj Project area, Durgabari and Bapapung.
The elephants damaged banana plantations, sugarcane crops and other vegetation in residential areas.
After daybreak, the herd was seen moving along roads in the Muliabari area, causing concern among residents, morning walkers, commuters and school-going children. Many residents stayed indoors until the elephants moved away.
No human casualties or damage to houses were reported in the incident.
Residents raised concerns over the effectiveness of existing mitigation measures by the Digboi Forest Division and the Assam Oil Division (AOD), despite continued expenditure on elephant management.
They questioned how the herd was able to enter and move through residential and road areas.
They also pointed to ongoing efforts such as elephant depredation prevention teams, solar-powered electric fencing and other deterrent measures, and called for review and strengthening of the protection system.
Residents and wildlife observers said the incidents reflect the deterioration of traditional elephant corridors in the region, including the Golai and Bogapani corridors. They said habitat fragmentation is forcing elephants into human settlements in search of food.
They also referred to a previous incident in 2020, when a 67-year-old woman was killed in an elephant attack near the Golai elephant corridor at AOD Bungalow No. 88 on Shillong Road.
Residents said repeated incidents show that areas along elephant corridors remain vulnerable despite earlier warnings and incidents.
They called for a long-term strategy involving the forest department, AOD and district administration, including protection of elephant corridors, monitoring systems, early warning mechanisms and coordinated conflict mitigation measures.