Chilla, May 20, 2002: In early April, when the Mussourie Express was passing thorough the Chilla-Motichur sector of the Rajaji National Park, the driver received a wireless message that an elephant herd was on the tracks. He was able to stop the train in time and avert a possible accident.
The wireless message that alerted him came from the joint railway-forest department patrolling party, which spotted the herd on the tracks_ a sign of success of the task force set up to reduce the elephant mortality in this sector almost a year ago.
According to Mr Sunil Pandey, Director, Rajaji National Park, the railways and forest department have a common radio frequency for this sector, through which a forest guard can alert a train driver if he spots elephants on the railway tracks. “Though the train was delayed by a couple of hours, an accident was prevented. The herd had several small claves with them and it was very difficult to chase them away. Consequently, the train was delayed,” he said. So far, the joint patrolling team has been able to avert four accidents on this track, he added.
For the past one year, the railways and forest department, with the active involvement of WTI, have been trying to work out methods of preventing elephants from crossing the railway tracks. One of the major problems was that during the summer months the elephants crossed the tracks in search of water on the other side. Many times they used to get trapped between the tracks and the mounds on the side of the tracks, leading to elephants being killed. Since 1986, around 20 elephants have been killed, including two calves, one in January and the other in March, this year.
After the formation of the task force, the railway authorities have cleared the mounds along the tracks. WTI has desitled the water holes to ensure water supply even during the summer months so that the elephants need not cross the tracks in search of water. WTI has also provided the joint patrolling team with fluorescent cross bands, so that train drivers can spot the patrolling team from a distance.
