Tusker deaths: State forest dept holds meet with Railway

Senior officials of the state forest department on Saturday held a meeting with the senior railway officials to prevent the deaths of elephants while crossing Railway tracks at various parts of the state.

The meeting was held after three elephants were killed in Bankura’s Bishnupur on Friday.

The senior officials of the forest department urged the Railway officials to set up a corridor under the railway track to avert an accident. It may be mentioned here that the state forest department had earlier urged the railway department to take some steps in order to minimise the death of elephants in accidents.

State forest minister Binay Krishna Barman said that there was a Supreme Court order that the trains should be run not more than a speed of 25 Km per hour through the forest areas where the elephants often pass through.

But the Railways have not taken enough steps to implement the order and the trains often run at much higher speed resulting in accidents.

“As the trains were at high speed, the driver could not control the train when they see the tuskers on the railway tracks. If the speed of the train is less they can easily control the trains. This would have also reduced the rate of accidents,” Barman said. He also said that his department had proposed the Railways to set up a slope along the railway tracks in the forest area so that the elephants can come down.

“The elephants, despite of seeing the approaching trains could not come down from the tracks as there is no slope. It is unfortunate to see big tuskers dying in this fashion,” the minister said.