Raipur, Nov 27 (IANS) One woman was killed and six injured when marauding elephants went on the rampage and brought down eight houses in a Chhattisgarh village.
The incident took place Thursday night in Kusu village in Surguja district, about 450 km from here.

Forest official Mahendra Singh told IANS over the phone that 20 families in the tribal village had moved to safer areas till the elephants retreated.

Chhattisgarh’s vast northern region, comprising Surguja, Jashpur, Koria, Korba and Raigarh districts, have recorded a sharp rise in man-elephant conflicts in recent months.

The state government annually pays people living in villages surrounded by forests millions of rupees in compensation for the loss of human lives and the massive damage caused to houses and crops by wild elephants.

The state government says it is willing to work on a proposal by NGO, Earth Matters Foundation, which has suggested setting up “elephant villages” to help keep wild jumbos away from areas inhabited by people.