Vehicular movement has been disrupted on National Highway 55 between Cuttack and Sambalpur as villagers staged a road blockade at Baula under Athagarh subdivision demanding adequate compensation for family of a deceased persons, who was killed by an elephant.
Police have reached the spot and are trying to placate the angry locals, sources said.
According to information, a man of Shashanka village under the subdivision was watching his paddy field on Wednesday afternoon, when one out of a herd of elephant trampled him to death. The man, Nigam Sahoo, died on the spot.
Though villagers informed the forest officials, they were yet to turn up to the spot by Thursday evening. Peeved at this, hundreds of villagers have sat on the NH 55.
“It is not a new case. People are dying in pachyderm attack time and again. But neither the district administration nor forest officials have taken steps to resolve the problem. We want the family of Nigam Sahoo be compensated adequately and the administration takes all steps to prevent entry of elephants into our village,” said villagers.