Biswabrata Goswami
MIDNAPORE, 19 JULY: A day after three elephants, including two calves, were mowed down by a speeding passenger train in Jhargram district, top officials of the Railway and Forest departments huddled in an emergency meeting on Saturday to hammer out a strategy to prevent such tragic collisions along railway tracks that crisscross vulnerable forest stretches.
The high-level coordination meeting, held at the office of the Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) in Hijli, was chaired by Mr Sandeep Sundriyal, CCF, and Mr K.R. Chaudhary, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Kharagpur Division. The meeting was convened in the wake of Friday’s accident involving Train No. 12022 — a grim addition to the growing list of rail-elephant collisions in West Bengal’s Junglemahal region.
Key railway officials, including the Additional Divisional Railway Manager (Operations) and representatives from various departments, joined senior Forest Department authorities like the Chief Wildlife Warden and Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs) for the deliberations.
The discussions centred around devising both immediate and long-term measures to avert elephant deaths on railway tracks. Among the prominent proposals tabled were the deployment of advanced early warning systems, real-time communication between railway control rooms and forest field staff, and the demarcation of critical elephant corridors that intersect rail lines.
Importantly, both sides reiterated their commitment to wildlife conservation without compromising passenger safety. Officials agreed to develop a time-bound, collaborative action plan aimed at mitigating future wildlife-train conflicts — an issue that has sparked widespread concern among conservationists and residents alike.
Forest and railway officials stressed the urgency of bolstering coordination mechanisms, employing technology to detect elephant movement near tracks, and sensitizing train drivers about speed restrictions in forested zones during nocturnal hours when elephant movement is high.
This renewed joint effort comes as Junglemahal, particularly in districts like Jhargram and West Midnapore, continues to witness alarming elephant casualties due to expanding rail traffic through traditional wildlife habitats.
A senior forest official told Hummingbird News, “We are working towards an integrated monitoring system that not only alerts train drivers in real-time but also helps the Forest Department track elephant herds more effectively.”
With this meeting setting the stage for concrete interventions, stakeholders now await the operationalisation of these promises on the ground — before more such lives are lost to the tracks.
