By Our Correspondent

Rajbiraj, Nov. 5

People of about a dozen families in the northern part of Saptari district have been unable to  sleep for the last three weeks due to the terror of wild tuskers

Residents of Mahuli, Sitapur, Mehanpur, Belaha and Bhurki of Agnisaira Krishnasabaran Rural Municipality and Birendra Bazaar, Terahauta and Naya Basti of Rupani Rural Municipality have been unable to sleep as they have to keep vigil  to save their life and property from the tuskers, Bhakta Bahadur Tamang of Agnisaira Krishnasarawan Rural Municipality-2 said.

According to Tamang, elephants attacked more than a dozen houses in the last three weeks.

The villagers started crying and scurrying when the tuskers entered the village during night, he said.

At least one member of each house has to remain awake throughout the night to avoid attacks of the tuskers in the settlements, he said

Mukesh Rai, a local resident, said although the villagers chased away the tuskers during the day time, they arrived in the village again in the night.

The tuskers that arrived in Saptari from the Koshi Tappu Wild Conservation Area broke the houses of Dukhi Yadav, Kaman Singh Magar, Manju Karki, Roma Damai, Satya Narayan Mandal, Aananda Sada, Panchu Sada, Tilak Bahadur Khatri and Rama Pariyar. Likewise, the tuskers also destroyed the crops like paddy, maize, banana and vegetables.

Durga Bhattarai, a local leader of Nepali Congress, said property worth about Rs. 2,000,000 was damaged by the tuskers in a night but the local government had been planning to provide only Rs. 5,000 as compensation to the victims.

Not only the people in Krishna Sarwan and Rupani Rural Municipality, but also the residents of Kanchanrup Municipality, Khadak Municipality, Kankalini Municipality, Saptakoshi Municipality and Surunga Municipality have been suffering a lot from the wild animals..

In  the last seven months,  nine people lost their life and seven were injured in the attacks of the elephants.