Alipurduar: Animal welfare and green groups have lauded the National Green Tribunal’s prompt action in response to the tragic death of three elephants struck by a train in Rajabhatkhawa on November 27. Recognising the significance of this incident in addressing the larger issue of elephant fatalities on Railway tracks, these organisations express hope for meaningful changes.
In response to the incident at Rajabhatkhawa, a suo moto case was initiated in the National Green Tribunal (East Zone Kolkata) on Saturday. The NGT has summoned responses from relevant authorities by January 2. The incident garnered extensive media coverage. Following this, the environmental court issued an order based on media reports.
Over the past two decades, numerous elephants, including those in Assam, have lost their lives in collisions with speeding trains. Since the change of gauge in 2004, 77 wild elephants have perished in train collisions on the 167 km stretch of the BG-3 line between Alipurduar Junction and Siliguri Junction of the North-East Frontier Railway.
Environmentalists consistently highlight concerns about the Railway’s inadequate speed control measures.
Kaustav Chowdhury, Executive Director of the Solitary Nature & Animal Protection Foundation, stated: “We applaud the National Green Tribunal’s initiative. We hope this will prompt the Railway and Forest departments to take necessary measures to minimise animal casualties caused by speeding trains. The Green Tribunal’s action is expected to expedite the installation of the ‘Intrusion Detection System’ which was given a go-ahead almost a year ago.”
Animesh Basu, the coordinator of the Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation (HNAF), remarked: “We have persistently called for speed control on this track but animals continue to be killed by speeding trains. We hope that a viable solution will emerge during the Green Tribunal’s hearing. We appeal to the Forest department to
shed light on all the pertinent issues in court.”