Pan-Bharat danger spots for jumbos identified

[and/or www.mantra.com/jai]

PAN-INDIA DANGER SPOTS FOR JUMBOS IDENTIFIED

By Moushumi Basu
The Pioneer
http://www.dailypioneer.com
Thursday, May 2, 2013

With rising incidents of death of wildlife, particularly
elephants, by speeding trains, the Ministry of
Environment & Forest (MoEF) has identified vulnerable
stretches of railway tracks across the country that pose
a major threat to animal movement.

West Bengal and Odisha have the maximum stretches of
railway tracks passing through vulnerable wildlife
habitats, followed by Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

According to official sources, 49 elephants were killed
on railway tracks across the country since 2010,
including 5 killed in December last in Odisha. The jumbo
deaths have largely occurred in the states of West Bengal
(Buxa Tiger Reserve/Alipurduar), Uttarakhand, Odisha and
Tamil Nadu (Krishnagiri)

Experts feel despite repeated deaths and identified
stretches of sensitive tracks, there is yet to be any
draft policy to tackle the situation. The elephants lost
in such train hit cases are essentially from the wild,
which move in herds through corridors from one forest to
other in search of food and water. Hence, their deaths
are a big loss in conservation, they regretted.�

The official figures indicate that 168 km of broad gauge
railway passing from Siliguri junction to Alipurduar
junction that has claimed a number of jumbos in the past
is amongst the most vulnerable in the country. To add to
this 150 km of rail tracks in Odisha, particularly
through Dhenkanal and Keonjhar are the most threatened.

The sources pointed out that Alipurduar route directly
passes through a number of prominent elephant corridors
as Bhuttaban Forest- Chapramaari Wildlife Sanctuary-
Gorumara National Park, Dumchi forest- Chunabhatti-
Khairbaari- Jaldapaara, among others.

Nearly 42 km of railway tracks passing through Athagarh
Forest Division in Odisha have been demarcated as
vulnerable in Odisha. The elephants cross the railway
line from Sankhapol Reserve Forest towards Khamar Nuagaon
and Kolathapangl village area besides crossing Ranibanta
to Deulia Reserved Forest areas amongst others.� Further,
36 km of Angul Forest Division in the same State has been
marked as a sensitive stretch.

Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand also has a vulnerable
rail stretch of 19 km passing through the forest ranges
of Kansrao, Motichur and Haridwar Ranges.

The major elephant crossing points involving railway
tracks in Kerala spans for about 33 km between Kanjikode
and Walayar under Palakkad Forest Division. Yet another
34 km of rail track - between Wayalar and Ettimaday
stations) and 15 km between Periyangathunai Royakottai,
respectively - has been identified between Hosur and
Coimbatore forest divisions in Tamil Nadu.

Commenting on the situation, Member of National Board for
Wildlife, Biswajit Mohanty, pointed out that there have
been repeated high-level meetings between MoEF and Rail
Ministry shortly after such incidents.� However, the need
of the hour is to see that these guidelines are actually
followed at ground level. Further, the forest department
must ensure that there is intensive patrolling in such
areas to ensure the implementation of the guidelines.

More at:

http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/pan-india-danger-spots-for-jumbos-identified.html

Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.jai-maharaj

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