Local people of Purnabas Municipality-14 in the district have lodged a complaint with the District Forest Office, saying that they should be compensated for their crops and paddy destroyed by wild elephants.

The locals said that wild elephants straying from Dudhuwa National Park in India and entering the village, have been destroying ripen paddy they have planted for the past one month.

Local resident Gopal Gurung said that they lodged the complaint after their repeated calls to the District Administration Office to control the elephant menace have remained unheard.

He said that the elephants destroyed paddy planted by around 300 farmers of Baisebichawa and Shankarpur areas so far.