The Hindu : Front Page : Freight train kills 2 elephants

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Saturday, Aug 11, 2007
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Freight train kills 2 elephants

Sushanta Talukdar

They were crossing the track on Guwahati outskirts

Guwahati: Two elephants were killed after a freight train knocked them down near Deepor Beel, a bird sanctuary on the outskirts of the city, on Thursday night.

Assam’s Chief Wildlife Warden M.C. Malakar told The Hindu that the calf and the nine-year-old were part of herd that was crossing the railway track.

In 2004, three elephants were knocked down by a freight train near the same stretch.

Mr. Malakar said preliminary investigations showed that the train was moving at a speed of 40 km per hour. The driver told the forest officials that the accident occurred about three km. away from the earmarked speed restriction zone where the highest speed limit is 25 km per hour.

Besides, as there was a curve, the engine headlight could not illuminate the zone where the herd was crossing the track. When the driver applied the brakes it was too late and the train hit the two elephants.

In the impact of the collision, two wheels of the locomotive came off. There was no other damage.

Herds from the Garbhanga Reserve Forest come to Deepor Beel along this transit route.

Services were temporarily affected on the Kamakhya–Goalpara– Bongaigaon route following the accident.

Railway officials, who reached the spot immediately, informed the forest officials.

The track was cleared at 8:30 a.m. on Friday and traffic had resumed, said a Railway press release issued by Chief Public Relations Officer Trikalagya Rabha.

Mr. Malakar said the Forest Department would move the railway authorities to seek permission to arrest the driver. However, railway officials maintained that arresting the driver was not a solution, as he was only discharging his responsibility of running a train.

They insisted that the Forest Department should keep the railway authorities posted regularly on elephant corridors and movement so that timely action was taken to lower the speed to avoid tragedies.

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