Residents of Kurumbapalayam, a village located two km inside Palakkad Main Road, on Friday appealed to the District Administration to protect them from elephants that had been straying into their area the last few months.

In a memorandum to the District Collector Archana Patnaik, INTUC National Secretary,
N. Nanjappan, on behalf of the villagers, said that people were afraid of coming out of their houses for fear of elephant attacks, which had been recurring the last few months in the village and surrounding areas.

Forest Department officials, with the help of the villagers, were struggling to drive away one elephant, which strayed into the area this morning, he said.

Besides appealing for necessary protection to farmers and the public, Nanjappan also requested the Collector to provide adequate compensation for the damage caused
to crops and other properties, by the elephants.