NEW DELHI: The death of at least seven elephants after being hit by a high-speed passenger train in Assam on Saturday has taken the toll of such fatalities since 2019-20 to 94. This was the fourth such accident this year. The last two accidents were reported from Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, sources said, adding that the safety of elephants remains a concern on rail corridors passing through forest areas.Railway officials said that while several initiatives have been taken to prevent such mishaps, including use of AI-powered Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), sensors, thermal cameras and eco-friendly buzzers, in addition to construction of underpasses, fencing and vegetation clearance, there is clearly a need to do more.In the Monsoon session of the Parliament, the government had informed Lok Sabha that 81 elephants had been killed after being hit by trains between 2019-20 and 2023-24. The central government had also listed the interventions undertaken at various places to prevent such accidents.The govt had also said that a comprehensive report titled “Suggested Measures to Mitigate Elephant and Other Wildlife Train Collisions on Vulnerable Railway Stretches in India” has been prepared after field surveys across 127 identified railway stretches spanning 3,452.4 km.“Based on the intensity of wildlife movement, 77 railway stretches covering 1,965.2 km across 14 states have been prioritized for mitigation along with site-specific interventions,” it had said.The report containing details of identified stretches and the mitigation measures has also been shared with states & railway ministry for action.
