GUWAHATI, Nov 22 - With as many as 23 elephants killed due to hit by trains in the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) zone since 2015, railway authorities have said that they are ready for imposition of speed restrictions at any location to prevent such incidents.
�There are 29 notified corridors in NFR zone, including 12 in Alipurduar Division, two in Rangiya Division, 11 in Lumding Division and four in Tinsukia Division. Elephant corridors are notified based on the input received from the forest department. Permanent speed restrictions and caution orders are imposed in these locations and drivers are on the look-out while passing these stretches. However the trains resume the normal sectional speed once these stretches are passed,� Pranav Jyoti Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of NFR told The Assam Tribune today.
He said that as of now speed restrictions of temporary nature are imposed and drivers are advised accordingly as soon as any herd movement is notified by the forest department in the vicinity of rail tracks.
�NFR is ready for imposition of speed restriction at any location based on information relayed. However, permanent locations are added only at the time of preparation of the working timetable which is an annual exercise. In the interest of protection of elephants, restrictions like new corridors can be added upon receipt of such recommendation from the forest department,� Sharma said.
He said that 23 elephants have died after being hit by trains in the NFR zone since 2015. While nine each were killed in 2015 and 2016, there have been five fatalities so far in 2017.
The issue of elephant deaths at railway tracks has surfaced once again in a big way in Assam following death of two animals at Thakurkuchi on the outskirts of Guwahati on the intervening night of November 18-19. The elephants died after being hit by the Avadh Assam Express while they were trying to cross the railway track.