Rlys to complete intrusion detection sys along elephant corridors by April

Jalpaiguri: The Indian Railways is set to complete the installation of the Intrusion Detection System (IDS) along a 146.4 km stretch of Railway track passing through the reserved forests of North Bengal and the Northeast by next April. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said this technology will be deployed along Railway lines intersecting critical elephant corridors.

The IDS has already been successfully implemented along 64 km of elephant corridors under the Alipurduar division, covering the Madarihat-Nagrakata stretch, as well as in Lumding, Rangiya and Tinsukia divisions. However, environmentalists and wildlife experts are urging rapid installation along the corridor from Nagrakata to Sevoke, toward Siliguri, stressing the need for complete coverage to prevent wildlife accidents.

The BG-3 rail line of NFR, which passes through Siliguri, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts, traverses sensitive areas including the Mahananda and Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuaries, the Buxa Tiger Reserve and Jaldapara and Gorumara National Parks. Railway sources said while IDS has been installed along tracks in three divisions outside the Alipurduar-Nagrakata section, the remaining 146.4 km is expected to be completed by next April. Meanwhile, elephant-train collisions continue in unprotected sections.

Wildlife expert Shyamaprasad Pandey said: “On September 24, an elephant was killed by the Kanchankanya Express between Apalchand and Mahananda Sanctuary. This highlights the urgent need for IDS along Siliguri-Nagrakata.” Jaydeep Kundu, member of the State Wildlife Board, added that winter fog increases accident risk, yet Railways projects IDS installation will only be completed by April, leaving critical stretches vulnerable.

North Bengal has witnessed repeated elephant deaths: eight at Moraghat near Banarhat in 2010, seven on Jaldhaka Bridge in 2013, and a mother and newborn in Chapramari forest in 2023. After the 2023 incident, a private group, in cooperation with the Forest department, installed “EleSense Live” devices, and no wildlife deaths have occurred on that line since.

NFR Chief Public Relations Officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said: “Since IDS implementation between Nagrakata and Madarihat, no wildlife casualties have occurred. Sensors alert train pilots about animals, preventing accidents. The system will cover an additional 146.4 km by next April.”

With winter approaching, experts stress that timely IDS installation is crucial to safeguarding elephants and other wildlife along these forest corridors.