Title - Lack of timely info proved fatal

The tug-of-war between the Department of Environment and Forests and East Coast Railway (ECoR) intensified on Monday on the tragic death of five elephants run over by the speeding Coromandel Express. The Forest department even threatened to take action against the railway officials if they are found guilty of negligence.

The Khallikote range officer has already registered a case against the train driver charging him with killing of the elephants. Forest and Environment Minister Bijoyshree Routray, who summoned ECoR officials for an emergency meeting, said if investigation reveals any negligence on part of the senior railway officials, stringent action will be taken.

“We have been alerting the ECoR on the movement of the herd in the region but now they claim they have no such information,” Routray said. On December 18, he said, the range officer of Khallikote had written to the Divisional Railway Manager of Khurda Road about movement of a herd. If the herd pushes towards the NH No. 5, it will cross the railway tracks during nights, the letter said and advised that drivers be alerted to maintain speed restriction. The Minister said the letter was ignored resulting in the gory mishap.

The Department also cited a joint procedural order issued by Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and Ministry of Railways three years back wherein certain guidelines on restrictions on speed at elephant movement zones and clearing of vegetation in vulnerable areas were advised. “Everything is in official documents. If they want to gloss over, what can we do? We will write to the MoEF as well as Rail Ministry soon,” the Minister said.

The railway authorities, on their part, stood their ground and said they have been going by the joint procedural order applicable nationally. “But the demand that we should restrict the train speed to 30 km at elephant movement zones cannot be executed by us. The order must come from the ministry. The Department would do well to seek such preventive measures from the Rail Ministry,”

While the meeting yielded no results, the railway  authorities reportedly assured of measures to hasten the flow of information. Currently, any intimation from the Forest Department is sent to the control room which passes on to the local station for signal control.