Khorshed Alam, Sherpur

Around 20,000 people across the hilly border villages of Sherpur are leading a subhuman existence due to a severe lack of employment and the constant rampage of wild elephants. Amid prolonged livelihood crises, growing frustration among locals and a rising crime rate in these remote border regions have sparked serious concerns regarding the local law and order situation.

The affected region spans a 40-kilometer stretch across 35 villages along the Garo Hills near the Meghalaya border of India, covering Panihata to Nakugaon and Madhutila in Nalitabari Upazila, Jhinjhgati Upazila, and Balijuri to Meghadol in Sribardi Upazila. According to local public representatives, these elephant-afflicted areas are inhabited by approximately 20,000 people from diverse ethnic communities, including Garo, Hajong, Koch, Banai, Banshi, Hindu, and Muslim populations.

For over two decades, wild elephants have wreaked havoc on homes, trees, and crops in the area. While the herds stay deep in the forest during the day, hundreds of elephants descend upon human settlements under the cover of night in search of food. They consume and trample raw and semi-ripe paddy, vegetables, banana plants, jackfruits, and stored grains, causing massive losses of life and property. Villagers spend their nights in constant terror.

In efforts to protect crops and homesteads, locals often resort to lighting torches, beating drums, and bursting firecrackers, which frequently triggers direct conflict between humans and the wild animals. According to forest department records, wild elephant raids in the Garo Hills began in 1996, resulting in the deaths of 34 people trampled by elephants since 2014. During the same period, 31 wild elephants also died due to various causes, including electric traps set by farmers.

Data from the Department of Agricultural Extension indicates that hundreds of acres of land have remained uncultivated for decades due to elephant incursions, plunging farming households into mounting financial distress. Residents of Gomra village under Nakura Union in Jhenaigati Upazila—such as Aklima Begum, Sakhina Begum, and Sona Mia—noted that even when facing starvation during the day, they must keep at least two liters of kerosene on hand for torches at night, an expense many cannot afford. While local administrations and organizations occasionally distribute torches and kerosene, victims frequently complain of nepotism in relief distributio

Traditionally, inhabitants of the hilly region survived by collecting firewood, producing bamboo and cane goods, and working in agriculture. However, the decimation of bamboo groves, restrictions on forest resource collection, elephant attacks, and a lack of alternative opportunities have severely squeezed these income avenues.

Although the Nakugaon land port was established, it has yet to become fully operational, and industrial plants are virtually nonexistent, leaving hundreds unemployed for major portions of the year. Furthermore, the suspension of operations at five local sand quarries—three along the Bhogai and Chellakhali rivers in Nalitabari and two along the Maharshi and Someshwari rivers in Jhenaigati—has cut off livelihoods for approximately 10,000 workers. While illegal sand extraction surged following the political transition on August 5, 2024, the subsequent suspension of legal leases by the administration has deprived the government of vital revenue while leaving dependent laborers stranded.

Former Jhenaigati Upazila Chairman and BNP leader Aminul Islam Badal stressed the need to bring the quarries under legal leasing with strict environmental monitoring. Senior Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Md. Alamgir Kibria Kamrul warned that a failure to generate employment in border areas will only fuel unemployment and social instability.

Left unemployed for extended periods, a large segment of local youth is falling prey to frustration, leading hundreds of young people and teenagers into criminal activities. Locals report a spike in drug trafficking, smuggling, theft, robbery, counterfeit currency syndicates, terrorism, and gambling, exacerbated by inadequate surveillance by law enforcement in remote areas.

Rajia Samad Dalia, President of the Sherpur District Diabetes Association and a prominent social worker, emphasized the urgent need for sustainable employment, small cottage industries, agricultural initiatives, and vocational training.

Deputy Commissioner Farida Yasmin stated that the government is implementing multifaceted measures to mitigate human-elephant conflicts in the borderlands. .