CONSERVATION ACTION: Indian elephants may finally breathe easy while crossing railway tracks. Considering the high figures of wildlife death due to locomotive accidents, the Supreme Court of India has ordered the railway ministry to instruct engineers to slow down all trains while passing through dense forests. The news comes as a relief to wildlife enthusiast and conservationists alike as the Indian Railways runs trains through over 1,600 km of reserve forests across the country and the death toll due to accidents in this year alone amounts to 28 elephants, 3 tigers, and a rhino due to rail hits or electrocution.
A bench of Justices consisting of Judges K. S. Rahakrishnan and A. K. Sikri ordered that,
“Necessary steps should be taken by the railways all over the country to reduce the speed limit of running trains that are passing through dense forests.”
The bench added that in case a speed limit is not followed, appropriate action should be taken against the erring drivers and officials concerned.
The court’s order comes in response to a petition filed by advocate Sanjeeb Panigrahi on behalf of Shakti Prasad Nayak, who provided the court with a year-wise data of elephant mortality on railway line. Nayak had filed the petition and sought remedial action following the death of five elephants due to a train accident on January 5 of this year.
Moreover, the West Bengal (WB) government had informed the court that 77 elephants have been killed by speeding trains since 2007. Noting that the railway line between Alipurduar and Siliguri is a death trap for elephants, the bench approved the WB government’s suggestion to restrict movement of goods trains at night on this particular corridor.
The bench also agreed with the WB government’s suggestion of diverting fast moving and night trains to the Siliguri-Falakata route. The government additionally informed the court about the various remedial measures it was contemplating on, including development of wireless animal tracking system. In addition, the bench also noted the absence of counsels of various states where elephant deaths due to train accidents have been reported and warned them that non-representation of the states on future dates would be viewed seriously.
In conclusion the bench announced,
“Considering the importance of the matter and in order to examine the steps taken in the state of West Bengal and all over the country, we direct the personal presence of the Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forest, and one senior official of the railway, equivalent to the rank of Secretary, who are well conversant with these matters, in this court on January 21, 2014.”
Come 2014, we hope the national heritage animal of India and the mascot of Indian railways is no more a victim of train hit.
More Related Stories,
Accidents and electrocution Kill 28 Elephants, 3 Tigers and 1 Rhino in 2013
Twin Tragedy for Elephants of Bengal
Humans are Not Smarter than Animals
Image courtesy Wildlife Trust of India
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