GUWAHATI: The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) on Wednesday shot back at Assam forest department saying that it has been taking several steps to safeguard wild life, which have saved as many as 61 elephants during current year alone from being hit by trains and seizure of a loco engine is a procedural requirement and has been done in the past too.
NFR chief PRO Subhanan Chanda said, “On September 27 one tragic incident of elephant dashing occurred in Lumding division. Speed restriction was in place at the location and railway took serious note of the incident, conducted an enquiry of its own and has initiated action against the defaulters.”
“In course of an independent enquiry by forest department of Assam, a team of forest officials served a seizure memo, inspected and subsequently released the locomotive involved in the incidence at New Guwahati Loco Shed on 20.10.2020. It is not a first of its kind incident and is a procedural requirement for enquiry. There was no operational obstruction and the locomotive is currently in use of Railways,” Chanda said.
He added that NFR has taken several steps to protect wild life in its jurisdiction, which includes imposing speed restrictions and providing ramps at identified locations, implementing ‘Plan Bee’ for elephants (an innovative idea that amplifies recorded buzzing sound of bees to scare the jumbos away from tracks), maintaining regular interaction with Forest Department etc. As a result we have been able to save large number of wild elephants over the years.”
He said that 268 elephants were saved during 2019 and 61 elephants have been saved in 2020 till September and only one incident of elephant dashing has occurred during current financial year in NFR.