Train mows down seven elephants

manas ranjan banerjee 
SILIGURI/kolkata, 23 SEPT: In the worst ever incident in living memory, seven elephants, including three female and a calf, were mowed down by a Guwahati-bound goods train at Kalibari railway crossing near Banarhat in Jalpaiguri last night. The trampling of the animals under the speeding wheels has sent shock waves across north Bengal. Forest officials and animal lovers’ organisations have described the incident as “a pathetic climax” of the indifference displayed by the Indian Railways to the appeals from several quarters.  
Questions have cropped up over the speed limit involving the goods trains particularly along the region, acknowledged as “elephant corridor” close to Reti forest. 
The forest officials claimed that the railways had been consistently ignoring their plea to limit the speed of the trains passing through what is known as the natural habitats of the wild elephants. 
However, in a defensive gesture, the divisional railway manager, Alipurduar, Mr SN Singh, claimed that the train was running at a speed of 65 km per hour as per the speedometer records.  
“We maintain speed limit of around 50 km per hour along the four stretches identified by the forest officials. A herd of elephants came on the track suddenly. Though the driver tried his best to stop the train, but the brake did not work,” Mr Singh claimed, adding that the incident did not happen along the identified corridor.  
The chief conservator of forest, wild life, north, Mr S Patel, said: “The goods train was unscheduled and it was running at a speed of nearly 90 kms per hour in contravention to the speed limit determined for the animal-infested zone. The wheels dragged an elephant nearly 500 metres from the accident spot on the tracks,” he added.  
Rejecting the claims of the railway officials, Mr Patel said that the accident spot was well within the 42-km stretch demarcated as the restricted zone as far as the restraint imposed on the speed of the moving trains is concerned. “The driver ought to have restricted the speed to 10 km per hour along the stretch,” Mr Patel claimed. 
Several organisations, working for the interest of the animals in north Bengal, have described the incident as "a rarest of the rare". 
“Twenty-six elephants have so far been slaughtered under the railway wheels following the conversion of the metre-gauge into broad-gauge. Railways ministry should immediately order to stop movement of trains along the well-known corridor stretch at night. Otherwise the forests of north Bengal would not take long to get denuded of its prized animals,” said the coordinator, the Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation, Mr Animesh Basu.   
The divisional forest officer, Mr Kalyan Das, said in Jalpaiguri: “One tusker, three females, two  juveniles and an elephant calf were killed. Four of them died on the spot. The forest officials rescued two injured elephants and brought them to Khutimari and Garumara for treatment soon after the incident. 
“Despite all out efforts by the veterinary doctors, the injured duo died early this morning. However, one injured elephant was recovered from a canal close to the accident site,” Mr Das said.
According to the forest officials, the autopsy is over. Six were cremated in Khuttimari forest and another one in Garumara forest this evening.
Meanwhile, worried over elephants getting killed almost regularly by speeding trains even after the railways having been told to take remedial measures, the state forest minister, Mr Ananta Ray, today said he would complain to the Union environment and forests minister, Mr Jairam Ramesh, and also to the railway minister, Miss Mamata Banerjee, against the “failure” of the railway authorities to  limit the speed of the trains moving through the elephant corridors. 
The speed proved to be the main factor for the death of seven elephants yesterday, while 18 elephants had already died in the past two years. 
The seven elephants were hit by a goods train at Banarhat in North Bengal. The forest department lodged an FIR against the railways.  
According to the minister, the goods train was travelling at a speed of 70 km per hour instead of the recommended speed of 25 km per hour. “The divisional railway manager himself gave this information. At that speed there was no way the driver could stop the train even after spotting the herd,” said the minister. 
“We have been repeatedly telling them about reducing speed, blaring horns and using headlights, but to no avail. We have also asked them to build elevated tracks or an alternative route via Falakata. Railway officials are party to these decisions, but they don't implement them”. The entire 180 km-long stretch between Siliguri and Alipurduar Junction passes through forest area. Other animals, including bison and leopards, have also been hit by trains in the past.

GJMM rejects Jaswant offer

9 September 2010

statesman news service
SILIGURI, 9 SEPT: The Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha today rejected the Darjeeling MP Mr Jaswant Singh's counsel to nominate members to the proposed interim council from all the political parties with presence in the hills and in accordance with the Reservation policy prevailing in the country.
Visibly embarrassed, the GJMM media secretary, Dr Harka Bahadur Chhetri said in Siliguri on return from New Delhi today that Mr Singh had not been authorised by the party to comment on crucial policy matters. “A BJP veteran, he seems unaware of the stand my party has taken on the matter. What he said is his personal stand and maybe, it is the stand of the party he belongs to,” Dr Chhetri said.
Mr Singh's comment crated flutters in the political circles yesterday when he categorically stated that the nominated council should involve not just the political parties with presence in the hills but all socio-economic categories listed in the Reservation schedule including the SC, ST, OBC and the women.
Rejecting Mr Singh's assertions, Dr Chhetri said that being the true representative of the hill populace his party should have the right to nominate members to the proposed interim council.  “None from the party central committee would be nominated. We would remain absorbed in carrying on with the statehood struggle as the interim council being envisaged for the hills would be a mere revised version of the much-hated Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council,” he said.
He further said that his party was ready to support elections provided the Centre and the state government agreed to incorporate Terai and the Dooars within the geographical contour of the interim council.  “We would go for elections tomorrow if the Centre and state accept our boundary demands.  We have demanded 64 moujas spread over the Terai and the Dooars apart from 96 moujas in the hills where the Gokha community is in a demographic majority,” Dr Chhetri added. Asked why the principal hill-based party was fighting shy of elections, the GJMM leader said that his party would remain focused on the territorial aspirations of the Gorkha people. “Realising these long- suppressed aspirations are more important than contesting elections,” he said.
Charging fusillades at the state government, Dr Chettri said that the Marxists looked determined to stall the council- formation process.  “Adept in the divide and rule stratagem, they are bent on driving wedge amongst different sections of the hill people,” he said.