Forest teams face hurdles due to rains and crowds
PERNEM
The elephant ‘Omkar’, which had earlier moved towards Maharashtra, has returned to Goa and was last seen in the Khadshi-Mopa area on Tuesday, leading officials to shift residents to safer places.
On Monday evening, the elephant had moved towards Dodamarg taluka in Sindhudurg district, while Goa forest teams were tracking its movement. By Tuesday morning, it was sighted at Torsem-Pernem. Locals informed the forest department, and with police support, traffic on the Kadshi-Mopa road was stopped. This left students, workers, and residents stranded till noon.
Teams from the forest department, police, and electricity officials were present to manage the situation as the elephant kept moving along the road, creating panic. Around 2 pm, about 50 people, including students of Shaheed Ram Singh Memorial Government High School, were shifted to safety in a KTC bus and private vehicles under supervision.
Pernem MLA Pravin Arlekar visited the spot and urged people not to crowd the road and to cooperate with forest officials. He said officials from both Goa and Maharashtra must work together to guide the elephant to a safer area.
By Tuesday evening, the elephant had entered a plantation at Torsem-Pernem. Forest and police teams tried to drive it away, but heavy rains hampered their efforts, while curious onlookers gathered, forcing officials to control the crowd.
