BICHOLIM
Forest officials in Maharashtra have announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the family of a farmer who was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Morlem village, about 10 kms from Goa’s border near Dodamarg on Tuesday morning
Laxman Yashwant Gawas (65) was attacked by the elephant while proceeding to his cashew orchard and died on the spot.
While a cheque for Rs 10 lakh was presented as compensation to the bereaved family on Tuesday night, a forest official said the balance of Rs 15 lakh would be presented to the family within 1-2 months.
The official also ordered the relocation of the wild elephant away from Morlem village.
The death of Gawas had sparked off outrage among locals in the village, as forest officers, a police team, government officers, and local leaders from different parts rushed to the site and held talks with the villagers.
The locals initially refused to allow the forest department and police to remove the body from the site. They also demanded the immediate capture of the wild elephant.
After about eight hours, the locals allowed authorities to shift the body to the hospital for an autopsy, but continued to hold talks with officials and had demanded compensation to the bereaved family.
The angry villagers have blamed the administrative and forest officers for not giving serious attention to the problem of wild elephants straying into their village.
