Coimbatore: Expert Team from the Elephant Project Division of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, was sent to look at the death of wild elephants on the railway, visited the vulnerable location on the Palakkad-Madukkarai route on Saturday.
The team, led by former head of wildlife in Kerala Kumar, Bilal Habib from the Wildlife Institute of India, scientist K M Selvan and Prajna Panda from the Project Elephant Division, conducted an inspection with the Department of Forest officials from Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Examination was carried out based on the case submitted at the National Green Tribunal (NGT), said a forest department official.
While tracking A and track B running between Coimbatore and Palakkad train station, 1.8km Track A and 2.8km Track B stretch B passes through forest reserves in Tamil Nadu.
As many as eight elephants died in five accidents between 2008 and 2021 on stretches.
From them, someone is in the Stretch of Forest Reserve.
“Therefore, it is important to check all stretches and collect vital details to formulate plans and take steps to avoid elephant deaths on stretches,” the official said.
The team traveled by a special inspection train from Palakkad to the Madukkarai train station on the path B and was back on track A to Walakay, said the assistant forest conservator M Senthil Kumar.
“The team analyzes the reasons for the train hit, mitigation measures taken by the Ministry of Forestry and the train, and further action to be taken to avoid such incidents in the future.
This will send a report to NGT,” he said.
While a few steps have been made by the Ministry of Forestry to avoid such accidents, forest officials have sent a proposal a few months ago, looking for more facilities to avoid it.
“We demand the Watchtower, five additional anti-shrinkest observers and suggest two underpasses on the route.
More signposts and solar lights need to be installed on stretches,” added Senthil.