The Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO) in a letter to the ADG (Wl) of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) demanded an immediate inquiry into the killing of four elephants on Monday by a speeding train near the Teladihi level crossing of Bagdihi range of Jharsuguda Forest Division.
Saying that the incident has exposed the Teladihi level crossing as an unsafe habitat for elephants, thanks to lax measures by the Railways in controlling train speeds in identified crossing zones, the WSO demanded to fix responsibility after identifying the lapses and failure on part of the Railways.
The Forest department had issued a specific advisory to the Railways to slow down trains at Taladihi section as it was a regular elephant crossing zone. However, it was overlooked, it said.
The WSO said that after the December 29/30, 2012 incident in which five elephants were mowed down by speeding super fast Coromandal express at Subalaya in Rambha Range in Ganjam district, the MoEFCC had set up a three-member inquiry committee and the committee comprising PCCF and Chief Wildlife
Warden of Odisha JD Sharma, MoEF’s Project Elephant’s AM Singh and WSO secretary Biswajit Mohanty, after conducting an inquiry, had recommended several suggestions to prevent accidental deaths of elephants by train. Though in later periods the deaths of elephants due to train accidents had come down, yet the latest incident again speaks of laxity on part of the authorities, it alleged.
“A total of seven elephants have been killed in just over six months in the Teldihi area of Bagdihi range, Jharsuguda due to the casual approach by both the Forest department as well as the Railways. Had the recommendations suggested by the MoEFCC committee been followed strictly and had precautions been taken, the tragedy could have been easily prevented,” said a WSO release.