ANGUL/BHUBANESWAR: At a time when the state government is facing backlash over growing incidents of elephant killing, another jumbo perished after being hit by a speeding train near Jarpada railway station in Angul district on Thursday night.
The 30-year-old tusker, moving alone, was reportedly run over by Sambalpur-Shalimar Mahima Gosain Express near Dehurisahi under the Jarpada forest range. However, the Forest department is yet to lodge any complaint against any railway staff in the incident. A case of unnatural death has been registered by the Angul forest division, while an ACF rank officer has been assigned the task of probing the matter.
Angul DFO Bibek Kumar, who accompanied RCCF M Yogajayanand and other senior officials to the spot on the day, said the incident occurred while the tusker was crossing the track near Dehurisahi, about one km from Jarpada station at about 9.30 pm.
“The adult elephant that was on its way from Para to Salia reserve forest died on the spot. Forest guards and trackers were tracking its movement and were able to reach the spot immediately,” he said.
A total of four elephants including two tuskers, a calf, and a female elephant were moving close to the track in Para-Salia forest area and the mishap occurred despite forest staff sending an advance alert to the railway officials to slow down the train on the stretch, the DFO said.
“The forest officials had duly informed the railway officials of Sambalpur about the movement of the elephants in the area and had requested them to reduce the speed on this route,” he said.
Stating that the weekly express train was found to be running at a high speed, the DFO said they are investigating the matter to ascertain the exact speed of the train and to assess the circumstances under which the mishap occurred. “Show cause will be issued to the railway official concerned and responsibility will be fixed accordingly,” he said.
With elephant movement remaining frequent through the Dehurisahi passage, locals said there should have been close coordination between the forest and railway officials to avoid such mishaps. They alleged that despite being a sensitive zone, no underpass has been created on the rail route or the nearby NH 55 to provide safe passage to the elephants and other wild animals.
Meanwhile, railway officials have denied the charges. Since there was no intimation regarding the movement of the lone tusker, the train maintained the speed limit fixed for the elephant corridor. The speed could have been reduced further if they had information regarding the movement of the jumbo near the track, railway sources said.
As it is, this is the second such incident in less than a year. In May last year, three elephants including two calves were killed after being hit by a train carrying iron ore near Joda in the Keonjhar district. Besides, the state has reportedly lost at least 37 elephants in the last 12 years.