Dimapur, Oct. 29 (EMN): Various preventive measures initiated by the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) have resulted into saving of more than 140 elephants during the current year, said Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Subhanan Chanda in an update issued to the media on Tuesday.
Although there are 67 elephant corridors which are notified jointly in consultation with the Forest department of the respective state in five divisions of the NFR (Katihar-1, Alipuruar-22, Rangiya-23, Lumding-16 and Tinsukia-5), he said it has been noticed that wild elephants often cross railway track through areas which are not notified as corridor.
As railway drivers are instructed to run the train with controlled speed through notified elephant corridor areas, the case of elephant hit has come down drastically. However, he said it is very difficult to control a train when driver suddenly came across elephants on railway track in areas which are not the corridors.
The incidents of elephants crossing railway track is more common in Alipurduar division and to some extent in Lumding and Rangiya division of NFR, he said.
He informed that the NFR has taken various initiatives to avoid train-elephant collision like installation of laser speed radar gun to detect over speeding cases in elephant zones.
As preventive measures, the CPRO said that all the train drivers have been counselled to observe all permanent and temporary speed restrictions, fixing of buzzer with “Honey Bee” sound at level-crossing gates of vulnerable locations, pantry car staff and passenger are sensitised not to throw any eatable on the railway track so that elephants or any other animals don’t get lured to the track.
