3 elephants mowed down in yet another train accident in North Bengal

Three elephants, one adult female and two calves, were run over by a parcel train in North Bengal's Buxa Forest Reserve around 7 am on Monday, November 27. The horrifying accident took place near the Shikhari Gate between Rajabhatkhawa and Kalchini railway stations.

What happened

• Photos and videos on social media showed the three elephants with multiple cut marks on their bodies. One of the elephants was under the train.
• The accident happened in the West Rajabhatkhawa area of West Bengal's Alipurduar district, an area frequently marred by train accidents involving elephants.
• Buxa Tiger Reserve (West) authorities said that they have seized the train for futher inquiry. They said that they have asked for the speed log, medical reports of both the drivers of the parcel train, and other details to investigate the accident.
• While there are speed limits in place for trains crossing the Buxa forest, accidents are quite common here.

Preventive measures in place

• The Northeast Frontier Railway came up with 'Plan Bee' a few years ago.
• This plan had amplifiers playing sounds of buzzing bees to keep animals away from rail tracks, and helped save many elephant lives in the concerning areas.

Sound of honey bees used to ward off elephants at LC no 171 located in Chaparamari forest of north Bengal. Conservation of nature has always been a concern @RailMinIndia pic.twitter.com/B17EiiMhfa

— Northeast Frontier Railway (@RailNf) February 26, 2018

The other methods in place to keep wild animals from dying on rail tracks involve

• real-time surveillance,
• speed restrictions in elephant corridors,
• and sign boards to alert drivers.

The NFR also has laser speed radar guns to detect overspeeding in elephant zones.

Earlier this year, the Northeast Frontier Railway also introduced an Articial Intelligence-based surveillance system in elephant corridors to prevent elephant deaths.

The NFR elephant corridors

However, incidents of elephants dying on the rail tracks are still too common in the elephant corridors in the Northeast Frontier Railway zone despite many being saved due to railway initiatives and alert railway personnel.

• In 2019, for example, 140 elephants were saved due to the alertness of NF railway employees, the Northeast Frontier Railway said. 
• On an average, 20 elephants die in train accidents every year, according to government data.

Incidentally, or perhaps ironically, the Rail Ministry mascot is an elephant called Bholu.