The Union ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) has sought the personal intervention of Railways minister Pawan Kumar Bansal in the recent death of five elephants mowed down by Chennai-bound Coromandel express.
The accident had occurred at Subalaya near Rambha in south Odisha's Ganjam district on December 30 last year. “I earnestly request you to personally intervene in this matter and render justice. If we can save scores of elephants from death, certainly the slowing down of some trains at some vulnerable patches, should not be considered too great a hardship”, Jayanthi Natarajan, Union minister of state (independent charge), MoEF wrote to Bansal.
Natarajan has also asked the Railway ministry to take stern action against the erring officials whose negligence and indifference led to the accident, the third such incident in last two years at the same location.
Natarajan said forest department officials of Odisha government have already registered cases of violation of Wildlife Act against the engine driver and the divisional railway manager.
Taking a dig at the Railway authorities, she pointed out that despite repeated pleas, the Railway authorities remain indifferent to the death of wild animals, particularly elephants, caused by speeding trains.
All that is required is that trains coming in the route should slow down their speed to approximately 11 km for a stretch of track. “I am unable to comprehend why the officials of the Railway Board do not take care to ensure that advisories already in place are followed”, Natarajan rued.
The MoEF informed the Railway minister that the incident happened between the two sign posts cautioning the Railway personnel of elephant movement and requiring the trains to go slow. Meanwhile, a Central team headed by S S Grabyal, additional director general of forests (wildlife), which visited the state to probe the death of five pachyderms, has reported that the speed of the train was the main cause of the accident.