Ramgarh: A herd of around 40 elephants roaming near Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) mines under Kuju Area in Ramgarh district has triggered panic among miners and villagers and prompted safety alerts across key projects.Forest Department’s Quick Response Team (QRT) tried to drive away the herd on Friday night, but the elephants remained camped in the forest near CCL’s Karma Project, officials said. CCL has issued elephant alerts for Karma, Ara and Sarubera projects and asked night-shift workers to remain vigilant.“In view of elephants roaming around mines, we have asked our projects to take vigil during night shift duty,” said R K Sinha, General Manager, Kuju Area of CCL.Bateshwar Paswan, forest range officer who led the QRT operation, said the herd was staying close to Karma Project and could move towards the mines. The QRT, equipped with high-flashlight torches, fire torches, firecrackers and drums, tried to push the elephants to a safer zone, but the herd resisted and continued camping near human habitation and the coal mine.The Kuju coal belt, bordering dense forest patches, has seen frequent human-elephant conflict in recent months. In December 2025, four persons were killed by elephants in Ara, while a villager was trampled to death in Sugia village near Karma Project. Night-shift mine operations were temporarily stopped then for safety.Forest officials said they are monitoring the herd’s movement and trying to steer it towards safer forest zones away from habitations and mines.“Our QRT is on the spot and we are trying to ensure that elephants do not enter mine areas or villages during night,” a forest official said.CCL has asked colliery managers to keep searchlights on, prevent workers from moving alone near forest fringes and stop coal transportation if elephants are spotted near haul roads.
elephant herd
