Rs 77 cr allocated for intrusion detection system to avoid elephant collision in Bengal

Kolkata, Aug 11 (IANS) Amid reports of frequent elephant deaths on jumbo corridors in West Bengal, the Union Railways Ministry has allocated Rs 77 crore to put in place an intrusion detection system to avoid such collisions in the future.

Under this system, when elephant herds come near train tracks, an automatic message will be sent to the nearest railway station, which in turn will send an alert to the drivers of the trains to slow down and prevent a collision.

Simultaneously, alerts will also be sent to the state forest department so that it can take measures like driving away the herds from the tracks or to ensure a safe passage for the wild tuskers.

The amount has been sanctioned for the Alipurduar, Rangia, Lumding and Katihar divisions, known to be the most prone for train-tusker collisons.

Confirming the development, the divisional railways manager of the Alipurduar division Amarjit Gautam said that the Union Ministry wasserious about taking all measures to prevent such collisions at any cost.

“We have been able to save the lives of at least 83 elephants since the last one and half years because of timely intervention. Strict instructions have been given to engine drivers not to cross the speed limit of 30 km an hour while passing through the elephant corridor.

"The locomotive pilot has been instructed to immediately stop the train by using the emergency brakes in case jumbos are sighted on the railway tracks. Since some accidents are happening, We sincerely hope that the installation of the intrusion detection system will bring the instances of such train-elephant collisions further,” he added.