PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Haldwani
A tusker died after being hit by a train near Muktidham on the Lalkuan-Bareilly section on Monday night. The elephant was using the elephant corridor between Terai Central forest division and Terai East forest division when it was hit by the Ramnagar-Agra Fort Express.
According to official sources, after colliding with the pachyderm, the locomotive pilot informed officials at the Nagla railway station. The Gaula forest ranger Chandan Singh Adhikari reached the site after being informed about the mishap and informed the senior officials about the situation. The autopsy of the pachyderm was carried out post afternoon on Tuesday and the carcass was buried as per the rules.
According to official sources, train number 15056, Ramnagar- Agra Fort Express departed from Lalkuan station at 10.21 PM. Soon after its departure, the train hit an elephant crossing the railway tracks. The locomotive pilot informed the Nagla Railway station authorities about the mishap. Forest department officials who reached the site after receiving the information got the autopsy of the carcasss done. The carcass was buried after the post mortem examination as per the rules.
It is pertinent to mention here that this area has witnessed other accidental deaths of elephants hit by trains travelling on the track which dissects a traditional elephant corridor, which the authorities have been reportedly ignoring for some years now in favour of purported development works. Despite officials claiming that efforst have been made repeatedly to prevent such mishaps, the incidents of trains colliding with elephants are not rare. Adhikari said that the tusker is estimated to have been about 20 to 22 years old. Prima facie, the Forest department has lodged a case against the locomotive pilot under various sections of the Forest (Conservation) Act and the Wildlife Protection Act.
