More than 50 elephants have been killed on railway tracks in the country in the last three years, Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain said today.
Most of the elephants were hit by trains in the Northeast Frontier Railways' jurisdiction (31), followed by 10 in South Eastern Railway and five in the Northern Railway.
"Fifty eight elephants were killed in the last three years on railway tracks. In cases of killing elephants, wildlife on railway tracks, zonal railways investigate the incidents and conduct inquiry wherever necessary.
"Based on the finding in the investigation, a number of preventive measures are taken by the zones in coordination with the Ministry of Environment and Forests," the minister said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.
Some of the measures taken are -- imposition of speed restrictions in identified locations, provision of signage board to warn loco pilots about identified elephant corridors, sensitisation of train crew and station masters, need-based clearance of vegetation on the sides of the tracks within railway land construction of underpasses and ramps and provision of fencing at isolated locations.