THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tamil Nadu Forest Department has floated a tender for setting up an artificial intelligence system to prevent elephant deaths on the railway tracks between Madukkarai and Walayar in Coimbatore district. The state government has sanctioned Rs 7 crore for the project. The last date for submitting a tender bid is September 8.
According to sources, the forest is straddled by two railway lines in the East-West direction, which pass through the Madukkarai forest range for 1.8 km and 2.8 km respectively. The tracks have numerous hot spots for elephant crossings, which have resulted in six train collisions and in the death of 11 elephants, since 2008.
Based on the elephant crossing frequency, a vulnerable sector of 13 km of tracks has been identified and the forest department, along with the Ministry of Railways has planned to use the AI-based, autonomous surveillance system in the area, to warn officials about elephant crossings. The warning would be communicated to the railway authorities using a suitable wired/wireless communication interface.