UDHAGAMANDALAM Chief Wildlife Warden of the State, Shekar Kumar Niraj, inspected retaining walls built along the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) between Coonoor and Kallar to ascertain how many of these structures were hindering elephant movement in the region.
The action followed after videos of elephants struggling to leave the Hillgrove railway station went viral on social media. The elephants were unable to enter the surrounding forests due to the construction of a retaining wall. Following the intervention of additional Chief Secretary to the State government, Supriya Sahu, who appealed to the Ministry of Railways to clear the pathway, the wall was demolished on Thursday.
Mr. Niraj travelled the entire length of railway line between Coonoor and Kallar. Also present were Conservator of Forests (Nilgiris), D.Venkatesh, and District Forest Officer (Nilgiris division), Bhosale Sachin Thukkaram. The Forest Department personnel were joined by officials from the Salem division of Southern Railways, and recommendations were given to alter or demolish structures along the route to help secure elephant pathways.
