Absorption against death of family members by migratory elephants kicked off in Bankura today following chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s instructions.

The chief minister addressed a gathering at Kharbona in Khatra yesterday where she said, “The state has offered absorption to 750 persons, who were left destitute after their family members were killed by the migrating elephants in several districts.”

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The deceased’s dependents are offered jobs as forest volunteers against Rs 12,000 monthly emoluments. Today, 20 persons from such victims’ families were offered absorption letters by the divisional forest authorities of Bankura (north), Bankura (south) and Panchet Bishnupur. In 2020, such absorption was offered to 58 victim family members.

Some were issued letters today, few more were on the queue and the officials said that they would be accommodated soon. Shubhrangshu Mukherjee, secretary, Sangrami Gana Mancha said, “A number of persons are awaiting absorption and we expect the matter would be resolved soon.”

One such victim’s family member Binoy Bauri of Kalya village in Barjora said, “My father was knocked down by a wild elephant on 13 August, 2013 when I was 13.” He, according to the officials, would be absorbed soon. The DFO, Bankura (north), Umar Imam said, “It’s an ongoing process once the state has committed to stand beside such destitute families.”

The human-elephant conflict across the south Bengal districts like Midnapore (west), Jhargram, Bankura, Purulia and East & West Burdwan have become a recurring menace for more than two decades.

On 6 October, 2020, the CM during her administrative review meeting in Jhargram had declared that one member of the victim family elephant menace would be absorbed as home guard on compassionate grounds. The forest officials were told to track the developments and make an estimate of total casualties since 2011. The state had estimated 403 deaths caused by the elephants till February 2020. Of them, 80 were from the district of Bankura itself.

This year, Barjora range, where 18 members of the migrating Dalma Range elephants are still roaming, has recorded two human casualties so far. The Mancha has demanded immediate evacuation for the herd.