The elephants coming from the nearby forest have been terrorizing residents of Gelephu Gewog in Gelephu. And with most of the landowners leaving their land unattended, the problem has only worsened. A herd of elephants damaged the windshield of a vehicle and destroyed the tapioca orchard this morning. This is the third incident of elephant menace in Sarpang this year.
Concerned with the frequent visits, residents blame landowners who keep their land fallow for the menace.
“After owning land, it’s important that we build a house and reside in it. But people just let their land turn into a forest. And when it’s all bushes, it is impossible to see wild elephants coming. Recently, a monk was killed by a wild elephant due to the same reason. The elephant will not be able to come if we clear the forest,” said Karna Bdr Surketi, a resident of Pemathang under Gelephu Gewog.
“If the landowners came, cleared their land and initiated some cultivation, the problem of the elephant threat would be solved. It would benefit people like us,” said Ganga Ram Surketi, another resident from the same village.
Today, landowners pay land tax through an online payment system. This, the Gelephu Gup said increases the risk of land remaining fallow.
In the past, gewogs collected the tax directly from the people after obtaining clearances from the respective Tshogpas. And the Tshogpas issued the clearance only after the people cleared their fallow land to reduce wildlife threats to the nearby plots that are cultivated.
“Most of the landowners reside in other districts. They don’t visit their land and pay land taxes through the online system. Having visited the place not even once, some even can’t locate their land due to the thick forest. Therefore, it would be better if the online tax system is discontinued and make it compulsory for landowners to visit their lands twice a year to clear the land,” said Gelephu Gup, Prem Prasad Katel.
With threats from the tuskers increasing by the day, the residents hope that the relevant authorities come up with a solution at the earliest and put an end to their days of living in panic.
Karma Wangdi, Sarpang
Edited by Sonam Pem
