COIMBATORE: As many as eight wild elephants were killed in train collisions between Kanjikode and Madukkarai railway stations over the past five years, the Railways said in response to an RTI query.
The data, which was sought by RTI activist R Pandiaraja of Tenkasi, showed that seven of the eight deaths had taken place along line ‘B’ that passes through dense forests, while one death was reported along the line ‘A’. The latter traverses farmlands, a national highway, and forest areas for a short distance.
Pandiaraja opined that the Railways should temporarily ban all night traffic along line ‘B’ to prevent such mishaps. “The permanent solution is to shift the line altogether,” he said. However, the Railways, in its reply, has said that it had no such plans for shifting the line.
The activist further suggested the use of early warning systems with sensors to detect animal movement. "The Railways should invest in such innovative measures in coordination with the Kerala and Tamil Nadu forest departments,” he added.
Detailing various measures taken to prevent collisions with tuskers, the Railways stated that it had raised awareness among loco pilots to operate the train at 45 kmph within forest areas. Also, the department has set up audio alarms sounding like honey bees on embankments to keep the jumbos away. Further, a Whatsapp group has been created with Railways and Forest officials for swift communication on elephant sightings, the RTI response said.
Pandiaraja further appealed to the Railways to clear the land along the railway line for at least 1 km in accident-prone areas, where elephants cross, to improve the loco pilots’ visibility of elephant movements.
Other measures taken by Railways:
* Land clearance widened along line 'B' at a cost of Rs 2.43 crore in 2017
* Work awarded for widening the clearance for 5km along line 'B' at an outlay of Rs 1.59 crore
* Tender under finalisation for another widening project worth Rs 3.1 crore