PNS n KEONJHAR
The Forest Department on Thursday booked the train driver of a goods train for dereliction of duty after a female elephant was killed after being hit by the train near Ramachandrapur under the Sadar Forest Range of the district on Wednesday night.
“The incident took place at around 9.55 pm yesterday and we had informed the railway control room at Khurda about the movement of elephants in the area at around 6.20 pm. Within 25 minutes, the caution orders were put into force and the loco pilot was intimated about the elephant movement,” informed Keonjhar Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Santosh Kumar Joshi.
“We have detained the loco pilot of the train and recorded his statement. Further investigation is underway,” the DFO added.
According to reports, the incident occurred at around 10.30 pm when a herd of ten elephants was crossing the railway tracks and the goods train coming from Joda rammed into the pachyderm. However, nine other jumbos had a narrow escape in the incident.
After getting the information, Forest Department officials including the local Ranger and Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) and senior officials of Railways rushed to the spot.
Sources said that in past few days, pachyderms have been straying into Dimba, Naranpur, Jamunalia Badaposi, Ramachandrapur and Basantpur in the Sadar Range area of the district in search of food.