Hazaribag: The human casualty due to the elephant attack in Hazaribag rose to eight following the death of a middle-aged woman in Kajri jungle on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. Earlier on Friday, the elephant herd in Churchu block had killed seven persons, including four members of a family and two toddlers.The district administration has activated a control room by rolling out emergency response numbers (8002529349 and 8002529348) and asked people to contact them in case of any kind of emergency due to the elephant movements.Vikas Kumar Ujjwal, the divisional forest officer (DFO) of Hazaribag east division, said they have sought more teams of experts from chief wildlife warden’s office to divert the herd of five elephants which are still in the area.The latest victim was identified as Phoolmani Devi, the wife of Rajesh Murmu. The couple were sleeping in their hut when the herd razed it and trampled the wife to death. Grievously injured Rajesh has been admitted to the Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College and Hospital, officials said.Authorities said the herd created havoc in Bokaro and Ramgarh districts, and has been in the Churchu forest for about a week. Many living in Churchu and Ango panchayat areas of Churchu block are taking refuge in school building during night, sources said.On Friday night, DC Shashi Prakash Singh and SP Anjani Anjan held a meeting to review the situation and strengthen preventive measures.Singh said, “Continuous monitoring of elephant movement is underway, and necessary directions have been issued to ensure the safety of residents in vulnerable areas. I have instructed forest, police and block-level officials to remain vigilant and maintain active coordination. Surveillance has been intensified in the affected pockets.”The administration placed Chanaro, Tapin, Pipra and Pindra areas on alert. Mukhiyas, public representatives, villagers and block officials have been directed to take precautionary measures. Singh also urged the villagers not to approach elephants, avoid rumours and immediately inform local authorities about any sighting or emergency.Meanwhile, two elephants were spotted near Badhiyajwad village under the Kolhuakala panchayat of Barhi block in Hazaribag on late Friday. Locals said labourers engaged at the brick kiln first raised an alarm. Locals have demanded distribution of torches and installation of solar-powered lights to deter the elephants from entering populated pockets.Forester Amar Anand Saraswati said a team was maintaining vigil, and the divisional forest officer had been informed regarding the distribution of torches.Forest officials appealed to the people to use the ‘Hamar Haathi 2.0’ app of the state govt to get updates on elephants for timely action.“The app tracks elephant locations and indicates the direction in which the herds are moving. It sends notifications and automated calls to users if elephants are detected within a 5km radius, while movement within a 20km radius is also displayed on the platform. Users can upload photographs, share exact locations of sightings and report crop or property damage directly through the app to facilitate compensation claims,” an official said.DFO Ujjwal said awareness campaigns were underway, with forest staff visiting villages to help residents install the app on their phones. “The platform has proven effective in reducing surprise encounters and enabling timely caution. Forest teams have been directed to create awareness among villagers about this app.”Many, however, rued that poor mobile connectivity in remote areas and the lack of smartphones among the poor were major impediments to the govt’s initiative..
