NGT pulls up CPCB, Assam govt over death of seven elephants on Hojai rail track
The green tribunal has directed that the matter be listed before its Eastern Zonal Bench in Kolkata on January 28
At least 7 elephants were killed after a herd of jumbos was hit by the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Hojai. (Photo:PTI)
New Delhi, Jan 14: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought responses from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and other authorities over the death of seven elephants after a Rajdhani Express train hit a herd near Guwahati in December last year.
The green watchdog was hearing the matter after taking suo motu cognisance of a newspaper report that highlighted the “tragic incident” on December 20, 2025, when the Sairang–New Delhi Rajdhani Express collided with a herd of elephants.
The tribunal has impleaded the CPCB, the Assam government through its special chief secretary (environment), the State’s principal chief conservator of forests, and the Assam State Pollution Control Board as respondents in the case.
In its order dated January 5, the tribunal observed that, “Prima facie, the facts and circumstances emerging from the news item raise substantial questions relating to the environment.”
According to the report cited by the NGT, the impact of the collision caused the engine and five coaches of the Rajdhani Express to derail on the Jamunamukh–Kampur section under the Lumding division of the Northeast Frontier Railway.
The NGT has directed that the matter be listed before its eastern zonal bench in Kolkata on January 28.
Earlier, on December 20, the newly launched Sairang–New Delhi Rajdhani Express rammed into a herd of elephants near Changjurai village in Assam’s Hojai district, killing seven, three adults and four calves, and injuring another calf.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma swiftly ordered a detailed inquiry into the incident, directing the Forest Department to examine the circumstances leading to the collision.
Nagaon divisional forest officer Suhash Kadam had said heavy fog may have been a contributing factor.
The incident had also drawn sharp criticism from the Kaziranga Wildlife Society (KWS), the State’s oldest wildlife NGO, which demanded a judicial inquiry, alleging that the train had apparently violated a 2014 Supreme Court order mandating speed limits of 30–40 kmph, depending on the vulnerability of the railway stretch.
With inputs from PTI