127 ‘sensitive’ areas prone to wildlife fatalities in focus of rlys, forest dept

NEW DELHI: Alarmed by the frequent incidents of elephants and other wildlife being hit or run over by trains, the Ministry of Railways, in coordination with the Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change and other institutions, has identified 127 railway stretches passing through forest areas as ‘sensitive’ to wildlife fatalities.Of these, 110 stretches fall within elephant distribution ranges, while 17 are located in two tiger range areas.An official said that a comprehensive joint survey was also conducted to assess critical railway stretches where elephant and wildlife-train collisions have been reported frequently. The 127 sensitive railway stretches — 110 in elephant range areas and 17 in tiger range areas — together cover 3,452.4 km of railway track.Following this identification, several measures have been adopted to prevent collisions between trains and wildlife on railway tracks. The Railways on Monday stated that works such as fencing along railway tracks passing through forest areas with frequent movement of elephants and other wildlife have been undertaken. Installation of AI-enabled devices to prevent elephants and other animals from coming close to railway tracks has also been initiated.



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