Elephant enters Pernem’s Ugvem, damages crops

Mapusa: The elephant that was separated from its herd in Maharashtra’s Tillari region earlier this week — causing it to wander into the bordering villages of Pernem and then into Sawantwadi — was on Thursday spotted at Ugvem in the Pernem taluka.

The pachyderm, which has moved closer towards the mainland, reportedly damaged paddy fields that were almost ready for harvesting, as well as banana crops, villagers said.When villagers and farmers began gathering in the area and creating obstacles for the authorities to guide the elephant back into the forest, Pernem deputy collector Shivprasad Naik warned of action against anyone who was found to be obstructing govt officials while they performed their duties.“No one should obstruct the work of the officials. If they do, the police should register a case against them. The elephant is being monitored continuously. It will be sent back towards Maharashtra,” Naik said while he was present at the site with Pernem police inspector, Sachin Lokre, on Thursday.Local residents said that the elephant entered Tambose village on Wednesday night and caused extensive damage to rice and banana crops in the area. Its sudden appearance in the field also evoked panic among the farmers who found it difficult to ward the jumbo away as they said it was hiding.Last week, the elephant had entered Torxem on two occasions, then went towards Maharashtra before it returned to Goa and was seen in the villages of Fakirpat and Kadshi-Mopa.