DC Edit | Tragedy Of Train-tusker Conflict

Winter can be a cruel season in parts of India in which it brings extreme cold, but unkinder weather is not the only discomfort it brings. The low temperatures and high humidity are perfect ingredients for fog, which can reduce visibility to near zero. The prevalence of such conditions led to a tragedy for a herd of pachyderms that came too close to the railway track on which a fast Rajdhani Express ran over some of them, killing at least seven in Sangjurai in Hojai district, Assam.

The incident cannot be put down as just another man-made tragedy as the low visibility of winter was a major contributory cause. For a nation sentimental about its animals, especially the mammoth mammals that are also revered, this will go down as a terrible event. Truth to tell, the railways could have foreseen the possibility of elephant crossings in this specific sector. In fact, there had been warnings about the movement of this herd.

In the same mid-winter week, cars were running into each other on the Yamuna Expressway and vehicles were slamming into stray cattle which represent a particular problem in Tamil Nadu. Such conditions that create a cauldron of prospective calamities exacerbate the problems in a country that is not known to take safety too seriously. For instance, the known corridor of elephant movement did not have the AI-powered intrusion detection system, nor were thermal vision cameras carried and used by the crew of the fast train.

The Indian Railways says 77 stretches covering nearly 2,000 km have been prioritised for mitigation efforts to prevent such “train-animal” conflict. Four accidents involving pachyderms have occurred this year. Since the movement of such large wild animals in herds is mapped for safety by forest officials, such incidents should not recur, provided, of course, that the railways ensure specific safety protocols are strictly adhered to.