The officials of Project Elephant on Thursday took stock of the railway lines crossing the tiger reserve Palamu. Director RK Srivastava and joint director RP Thomas inspected Up and Dn lines and manned level crossing in the tiger reserve.
The two were accompanied by field director PTR MP Singh, scientist of Indian Institute of Science Bangalore S Kumar and DFO buffer Mahaling. Sources said the team braving intense heat spent more than twenty minutes at this manned level crossing in tiger reserve.
A passenger train happened to pass there when this team was there in the sun. Confirming this the field director said that, “Project elephant top brasses saw for themselves the railway lines that pass through the tiger reserve. It was good that a passenger train also went past our team.”
Sources said the pantry car boys often throw left-over foods across the railway lines which are hazardous to wild life as it dirties the habitat and poses health risk to wild life. MP Singh reminded that realignment of railway lines here is most needed if wild life is to be given privacy, peace and safety.
Indian railway has set restricted speed of all its trains 25 KMPH here over the Jawa railway bridge in tiger reserve. Sources said the palatable grasses that grow between the Up lines and the Dn lines of the railways have taken a huge toll of elephants here in the past.
The crew of train engine has been further directed to hoot continuously till the train passes off the dangerous tracks in tiger reserve. Any non adherence to it is seriously taken up by the railway authorities said railway sources. Railway traffic inspector Daltonganj A K Sinha said the engine crew has been further advised to keep eyes and ears open to locate and find if any wild life is any near to the tracks or may come jumping over it by innocence.