Tripura: Forest Officer Demands Underpasses In Wildlife Corridor After Elephant Killed By Speeding Train

A speeding train killed a male elephant in Tripura on Saturday, sparking concerns over the safety of wildlife in the Mugiakami-Teliamura elephant corridor. The elephant was part of a herd of around 30 elephants that was crossing the railway track when it was hit by an Agartala-bound train coming from Ambassa, according to Khowai Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Akshay B Bhorde.

"An Agartala-bound train coming from Ambassa hit one of the elephants on Saturday morning and dragged it for around 50 metres till DM Colony area, where it died," Khowai Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Akshay B Bhorde said as quoted by PTI.

Bhorde said the railway track, which was laid in 2008, did not have any underpasses for the elephants to pass through, violating the basic guidelines of the Forest and Environment Ministry. He said the incident could have been prevented if underpasses were built and trains ran at lower speeds in the protected area, which has been a designated elephant corridor for a long time.

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"Had underpasses been built during the track-laying process, the elephant's death could have been avoided because Mugiakami-Teliamura has been a designated elephant corridor for a long time. Besides, trains usually run at lower speeds when they pass through protected areas but that was not followed in this case," he said.

He added that he has contacted the Lunding Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) and asked him to instruct the loco pilots to run trains at 20-30 km per hour in the wildlife zone. He also said he would hold a meeting with the railway officials to discuss the issue.

(With PTI Inputs)