On Monday, In the Buxa Tiger Reserve of West Bengal, a tragic incident occurred around 7 in the morning. Three elephants, including one baby and two adults, lost their lives in an accident involving a parcel train near Shikari Gate between Rajabhatkhawa and Kalchini railway stations.
The elephants were struck by a speeding parcel train en route to Siliguri from Alipurduar. Video footage revealed one of the elephants with multiple cut marks on its body under the train.
Senior officials from the forest department and railways swiftly responded to the news. Officials from the Buxa tiger project and Alipurduar railway division are investigating the collision, focusing on determining the train's speed at the time of the tragedy.
The Rajabhatkhawa-Kalchini section, where this incident occurred, reportedly lacks Intrusion Detection System (IDS) coverage, raising concerns. The official mentioned that while IDS is operational in some parts of the Alipurduar railway division, installation is pending for the Alipurduar-Kalchini section.
The ongoing tendering process aims to extend IDS coverage to this section, along with Lumding and Rangia divisions of NFR, to mitigate elephant-train collisions.
No incidents have been reported in areas where IDS is already in place. In August, the Railways allocated Rs 77 crore for Intrusion Detection System (IDS) technology to prevent elephant fatalities from train collisions.
This unfortunate event in the West Rajabhatkhawa range of the tiger reserve in Alipurduar district adds to the sadly common occurrences of elephant deaths caused by train collisions in India. Earlier this year, a similar incident occurred in Chapramari Sanctuary in Alipurduar district on August 10, where a pregnant elephant was killed by a good train while attempting to cross a railway track.
Government data highlights a disturbing trend, indicating an average of 20 elephant deaths annually due to train collisions in India. Despite being home to about 2% of the country's elephant population, West Bengal continues to grapple with railway accidents as a significant contributor to unnatural elephant deaths, prompting the government's persistent efforts to address and prevent this issue.
This death of three elephants has once again saddened wildlife enthusiasts in the region, prompting renewed concerns about railway safety measures for wild animals in the Dooars. Despite efforts to prevent such incidents, questions arise about the effectiveness of Railway measures.
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